by Cindy Harper
Ofcom’s reach, Coleman argues, ends where the First Amendment begins.
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American attorney Ron Coleman has issued a strong warning to British regulators attempting to impose their censorship regime beyond UK borders.
Speaking during a broadcast interview with host Josh Howie, Coleman pushed back firmly against Ofcom’s efforts to pressure US-based platforms into complying with the UK’s Online Safety Act.
“No, not at all,” Coleman said when asked whether the lawsuit against Ofcom constituted interference in another country’s laws. “We only want to make sure that those laws stop at the shores of the UK, or frankly, they can expand as far as they want, just not to the shores of the United States of America.”
Coleman is one of the lawyers representing 4chan and Kiwi Farms, both of which are challenging Ofcom’s authority to apply UK law to their American operations.
But the broader issue, he said, goes beyond any single case. It’s about defending a constitutional principle: that no foreign government has the right to dictate what speech is allowed in the United States.
While UK officials claim the law is about protecting children, Coleman emphasized that the consequences extend far beyond content moderation.
He described a recent incident where one of his clients briefly disabled a content block for routine maintenance, only to be met with immediate threats from Ofcom. “Our client just said, we can’t continue like this,” he recalled. The implication: constant exposure to foreign enforcement creates a chilling effect, even within the borders of a free country.