Wikipedia has said that it will not perform age checks under the UK government's much-anticipated Online Safety Bill.

Rebecca MacKinnon, vice president, global advocacy at the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organisation that hosts Wikipedia, said this would go against the organisation’s commitment to “collect minimal data about readers and contributors”, according to a report by the BBC.

The news broadcaster also revealed that a senior figure within the UK branch of the online encyclopedia is concerned that the website could be banned if it doesn't comply with the legislation.

However, the government says that it only expects companies to use age-verification technologies to prevent children accessing services which pose the "highest risk to children", such as pornography.

Wikipedia is not the only international online platform to oppose rules outlined in the legislation.

Meta-owned WhatsApp and other messaging apps recently published an open letter warning that Bill could force tech firms “break end-to-end encryption on private messaging apps”.

The letter, co-signed by executives at WhatsApp, Signal, Element, Wire, Viber, Threema, and OPTF/Session, hits back at the upcoming Online Safety Bill, claiming the law could lead to “indiscriminate surveillance” of personal messages friends, employees, executives, journalists, human rights activists, and politicians.

A government official told the BBC that the legislation "in no way represents a ban on end-to-end encryption" and does not require apps to weaken encryption.

The long-awaited Bill, which is currently at committee stage following its second reading in the House of Lords, also includes tougher rules for bosses of social media platforms running user-generated content, who could face up to two years in prison for failing to protect children online.

Under the new rules, Ofcom will also have the power to fine companies failing to comply up to ten per cent of their annual global turnover, force them to improve their practices, and block non-compliant sites.

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