AI Research

Wikipedia loses challenge against Online Safety Act verification rules

Published

1 month ago

August 11, 2025

Wikipedia has lost a legal challenge to new Online Safety Act rules which it says could threaten the human rights and safety of its volunteer editors.

The Wikimedia Foundation – the non-profit which supports the online encyclopaedia – wanted a judicial review of regulations which could mean Wikipedia has to verify the identities of its users.

But it said despite the loss, the judgement “emphasized the responsibility of Ofcom and the UK government to ensure Wikipedia is protected”.

The government told the BBC it welcomed the High Court’s judgment, “which will help us continue our work implementing the Online Safety Act to create a safer online world for everyone”.

Judicial reviews challenge the lawfulness of the way in which a decision has been made by a public body.

In this case the Wikimedia Foundation and a Wikipedia editor tried to challenge the way in which the government decided to make regulations covering which sites should be classed “Category 1” under the Online Safety Act – the strictest rules sites must follow.

It argued the rules were logically flawed and too broad, meaning a policy intended to impose extra rules on large social media companies would instead apply to Wikipedia.

In particular the foundation is concerned the extra duties required – if Wikipedia was classed as Category 1 – would mean it would have to verify the identity of its contributors, undermining their privacy and safety.

The only way it could avoid being classed as Category 1 would be to cut the number of people in the UK who could access the online encyclopaedia by about three-quarters, or disable key functions on the site.

The government’s lawyers argued that ministers had considered whether Wikipedia should be exempt from the regulations but had reasonably rejected the idea.

In the end, the court rejected Wikimedia’s arguments.

But Phil Bradley-Schmieg, Lead Counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation, said the judgment did not give Ofcom and the Secretary of State, in Mr Justice Johnson’s words, “a green light to implement a regime that would significantly impede Wikipedia’s operations”.

And the judgement makes it clear other legal challenges could be possible.

Wikimedia could potentially challenge Ofcom’s decision making if the regulator did ultimately decide to classify the site as Category 1.

And if the effect of making Wikipedia Category 1 meant it could not continue to operate, then other legal challenges could follow.

“Wikipedia has been caught in the stricter regulations due to its size and user created content even though it argues (convincingly) that it differs significantly from other user-to-user platforms,” said Mona Schroedel, data protection litigation specialist at law firm Freeths.

“The court’s decision has left the door open for Wikipedia to be exempt from the stricter rules upon review.”

The communications regulator Ofcom, which will enforce the act, told the BBC: “We note the court’s judgment and will continue to progress our work in relation to categorised services and the associated extra online safety rules for those companies.”

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AI Research

NFL player props, odds, lines: Week 2, 2025 NFL picks, SportsLine Machine Learning Model AI predictions, SGP

Published

55 minutes ago

September 14, 2025

Ross Kelly

The Under went 12-4 in Week 1, indicating that not only were there fewer points scored than expected, but there were also fewer yards gained. Backing the Under with NFL prop bets was likely profitable for the opening slate of games, but will that maintain with Week 2 NFL props? Interestingly though, four of the five highest-scoring games last week were the primetime games, so if that holds, then the Overs for this week’s night games could be attractive with Week 2 NFL player props.

There’s a Monday Night Football doubleheader featuring star quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield, C.J. Stroud and Justin Herbert. The games also feature promising rookies such as Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton and Emeka Egbuka. Prop lines are usually all over the place early in the season as sportsbooks attempt to establish a player’s potential, and you could take advantage of this with the right NFL picks. If you are looking for NFL prop bets or NFL parlays for Week 2, SportsLine has you covered with the top Week 2 player props from its Machine Learning Model AI.

Built using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques by SportsLine’s Data Science team, AI Predictions and AI Ratings are generated for each player prop.

Now, with the Week 2 NFL schedule quickly approaching, SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model AI has identified the top NFL props from the biggest Week 2 games.

Week 2 NFL props for Sunday’s main slate

After analyzing the NFL props from Sunday’s main slate and examining the dozens of NFL player prop markets, the SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model AI says Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown goes Over 63.5 receiving yards (-114) versus the Bears at 1 p.m. ET. Detroit will host this contest, which is notable as St. Brown has averaged 114 receiving yards over his last six home games. He had at least 70 receiving yards in both matchups versus the Bears a year ago.

Chicago allowed 12 receivers to go Over 63.5 receiving yards last season as the Bears’ pass defense is adept at keeping opponents out of the endzone but not as good at preventing yardage. Chicago allowed the highest yards per attempt and second-highest yards per completion in 2024. While St. Brown had just 45 yards in the opener, the last time he was held under 50 receiving yards, he then had 193 yards the following week. The SportsLine Machine Learning Model projects 82.5 yards for St. Brown in a 4.5-star pick. See more Week 2 NFL props here.

Week 2 NFL props for Vikings vs. Falcons on Sunday Night Football

After analyzing Falcons vs. Vikings props and examining the dozens of NFL player prop markets, the SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model AI says Falcons running back Bijan Robinson goes Over 65.5 rushing yards (-114). Robinson ran for 92 yards and a touchdown in Week 14 of last season versus Minnesota, despite the Vikings having the league’s No. 2 run defense a year ago. The SportsLine Machine Learning Model projects Robinson to have 81.8 yards on average in a 4.5-star prop pick. See more NFL props for Vikings vs. Falcons here.

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Week 2 NFL props for Buccaneers vs. Texans on Monday Night Football

After analyzing Texans vs. Buccaneers props and examining the dozens of NFL player prop markets, the SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model AI says Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield goes Under 235.5 passing yards (-114). While Houston has questions regarding its offense, there’s little worry about the team’s pass defense. In 2024, Houston had the second-most interceptions, the fourth-most sacks and allowed the fourth-worst passer rating. Since the start of last year, and including the playoffs, the Texans have held opposing QBs under 235.5 yards in 13 of 20 games. The SportsLine Machine Learning Model forecasts Mayfield to finish with just 200.1 passing yards, making the Under a 4-star NFL prop. See more NFL props for Buccaneers vs. Texans here.

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Week 2 NFL props for Chargers vs. Raiders on Monday Night Football

After analyzing Raiders vs. Chargers props and examining the dozens of NFL player prop markets, the SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model AI says Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert goes Under 254.5 passing yards (-114). The Raiders’ defense was underrated in preventing big passing plays a year ago as it ranked third in the NFL in average depth of target allowed. It forced QBs to dink and dunk their way down the field, which doesn’t lead to big passing yardages, and L.A. generally prefers to not throw the ball anyway. Just four teams attempted fewer passes last season than the Chargers, and with L.A. running for 156.5 yards versus Vegas last season, Herbert shouldn’t be overly active on Monday night. He’s forecasted to have 221.1 passing yards in a 4.5-star NFL prop bet. See more NFL props for Chargers vs. Raiders here.

How to make Week 2 NFL prop picks

SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model has identified another star who sails past his total and has dozens of NFL props rated 4 stars or better. You need to see the Machine Learning Model analysis before making any Week 2 NFL prop bets.

Which NFL prop picks should you target for Week 2, and which quarterback has multiple 5-star rated picks? Visit SportsLine to see the latest NFL player props from SportsLine’s Machine Learning Model that uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence to make its projections.

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