Tim Knight Site Mocks MPs Over Online Safety Act

Download IPFS

London. A website created in protest at the UK’s Online Safety Act has caused a stir after generating more than 100,000 fake MP driving licences within days of the law being enforced.

The site, Use-Their-ID, allows users to input a UK postcode and instantly receive a mock driving licence with fabricated details of a sitting Member of Parliament. Though entirely artificial, the documents are designed to resemble genuine government-issued ID cards complete with a name, address, signature, and photograph. Some users are reportedly using these to bypass new age-verification checks on websites.

The man behind the tool, software engineer Tim Knight, said the idea was initially conceived as a joke but quickly developed into a digital protest highlighting serious concerns about privacy and state overreach.

In an interview with Metro, Knight explained: “If the government expects me to upload my ID to access adult content online, that’s a huge privacy and security risk. Websites are likely to outsource verification to third parties who offer the cheapest deal – that’s when corners are cut.”

The Online Safety Act, which took effect last week, requires websites to implement strict age verification to block under-18s from accessing material considered harmful. This includes content related to suicide, eating disorders, pornography, and explicit music lyrics.

Knight believes the legislation was poorly thought out and driven more by political pressure than expert consultation. “MPs seem to have gone with gut instinct rather than advice from professionals,” he said. “Even the broader tech industry is baffled by the whole approach.”

He pointed out that ID verification is already creeping into non-adult platforms, such as Spotify, which has introduced checks before users can stream music with explicit content. Meanwhile, Wikipedia’s parent organisation, the Wikimedia Foundation, has warned the site may become inaccessible to UK users unless it receives a formal exemption from the law.

“This isn’t just about adult content,” Knight added. “It’s affecting access to health resources, educational content, and even support services. People are being cut off from information because they don’t want to hand over their ID to some unknown third-party handler.”

Public opposition to the Act has surged. Within a week of the law’s rollout, nearly 500,000 people had signed a petition calling for its repeal.

Despite this, the government remains defiant. Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, dismissed the petitioners, claiming that those opposing the Act were “on the side of predators.”

His department warned that attempts to sidestep the law would face “serious enforcement action.” A spokesperson told Metro: “Platforms must not promote tools that undermine the Act. 

Knight, who develops online applications professionally, said Use-Their-ID was designed both as satire and to spark discussion. The site has attracted thousands of supportive comments, with users calling it “an excellent use of skills” and “a brilliant protest.”

One commenter wrote, “Thank you immensely, this is bloody funny and a wake-up call.” Another added, “Best of luck if anyone comes after you.”

Despite the attention, Knight remains unapologetic. “People are going to get hurt when real ID leaks happen. It won’t be a joke then,” he said. “The government has created a mess, and the public will be left to deal with the fallout.”