A report by campaign group Big Brother Watch has found that more than 60,000 people in the UK have been arrested over the past five years for "communications offences", prompting accusations of an "Orwellian" and chilling curb on free speech. Critics, including the Free Speech Union, argue that vaguely defined laws such as the Online Safety Act are being applied disproportionately to trivial online behaviour, diverting police resources from more serious crime and discouraging people from expressing opinions for fear of arrest.

The report records at least 62,199 arrests, with 18,510 people charged and 12,292 convicted, meaning roughly one in five arrests ends in conviction. It highlights wide inconsistencies in enforcement between forces, with Cumbria Police making 25.7 arrests per 10,000 people over five years, about 2.5 times the national average, while other forces made far fewer. Cases cited include a teenage girl in the West Midlands questioned over a TikTok video she had not created or shared, and a Hertfordshire couple held for 11 hours over a school WhatsApp group complaint before receiving £20,000 in damages. The report also references the jailing of Lucy Connolly for 31 months over a social media post following the 2024 Southport murders.