London’s High Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation seeking to block parts of the UK’s Online Safety Act. The organisation, which operates Wikipedia, argued that the law’s categorisation rules could subject the online encyclopedia to the most stringent “Category 1” obligations, including verification of contributors’ identities. Justice Jeremy Johnson ruled on Monday that the challenge was premature because communications regulator Ofcom has not yet decided whether Wikipedia will fall under the Category 1 regime. He emphasised, however, that his decision “does not give Ofcom and the Secretary of State a green light to implement a regime that would significantly impede Wikipedia’s operations,” and said Wikimedia could return to court if Ofcom’s eventual designation is judged to be unlawful. Wikimedia warned that mandatory identity checks could force it to restrict access for many of its estimated 26 million UK monthly users and undermine the privacy of its global volunteer editors. Non-compliance with the Act can lead to penalties of up to £18 million or 10 percent of a company’s annual revenue. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology welcomed the ruling, saying it would help advance implementation of the 2023 law, which is being rolled out in stages this year. Ofcom said it will continue work on service categorisation, expected to conclude later in the summer. The decision keeps alive a broader debate over how to balance online safety, free expression and user privacy, with other platforms and civil-liberty groups also criticising the legislation.