Social media platforms warned against inciting violence by UK regulator
Anti-immigration protests have quickly escalated into violent riots across the UK, spurred in part by misinformation spread via online platforms. | Photo by Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
The UK communications regulator Ofcom has raised concerns regarding social media being used to incite violence amid far-right riots across the country. In an open letter, Ofcom’s online safety director, Gill Whitehead, urged online platforms to tackle the potential spread of harmful materials related to the ongoing discord, highlighting its existing powers over video sharing platforms and its upcoming enforcement of the broader Online Safety Act.
Ofcom is specifically encouraging platforms to address content that depicts “hatred and disorder” and promotes violence or disinformation. The regulator’s existing powers allow it to “suspend or restrict” video sharing platforms that fail to protect the public from “harmful material” — potentially including inflammatory and often unverified videos that purport to show violence from immigrant communities, which have proliferated online. These rules don’t currently extend to social media companies in general, but the Online Safety Act is likely to grant Ofcom more power when it comes into force sometime between late 2024 and early 2025.
Civil unrest has been reported nationwide after a 17-year-old attacked children with a knife at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, killing three girls below the age of 10. Misinformation falsely claiming the perpetrator was an asylum seeker quickly spread across social media platforms, sparking far-right anti-immigration protests and violence predominantly targeting Muslim and nonwhite communities.
While the letter is directed toward online platforms generally, both the messaging app Telegram and X have been especially slow to address the situation. The Times reports that posts on X promoting the unrest made by Tommy Robinson (legal name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), one of the UK’s most recognized far-right extremists, have attracted over 434 million views since the riots began. Robinson was permanently banned from the platform for “hateful conduct” in 2018, before having his account restored by Elon Musk in November of last year.
Musk himself has also repeatedly promoted posts and misinformation about the discord, commenting that “civil war is inevitable” on video footage of the riots. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there’s “no justification for comments like that,” in a statement responding to Musk. “What we’ve seen in this country is organised, violent thuggery that has no place, either on our streets or online.”
Ofcom’s letter tacitly admits it’s still limited in its enforcement, even as it warned platforms it would be keeping an eye on them. “In a few months, new safety duties under the Online Safety Act will be in place, but you can act now – there is no need to wait to make your sites and apps safer for users,” said Whitehead.
Anti-immigration protests have quickly escalated into violent riots across the UK, spurred in part by misinformation spread via online platforms. | Photo by Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
The UK communications regulator Ofcom has raised concerns regarding social media being used to incite violence amid far-right riots across the country. In an open letter, Ofcom’s online safety director, Gill Whitehead, urged online platforms to tackle the potential spread of harmful materials related to the ongoing discord, highlighting its existing powers over video sharing platforms and its upcoming enforcement of the broader Online Safety Act.
Ofcom is specifically encouraging platforms to address content that depicts “hatred and disorder” and promotes violence or disinformation. The regulator’s existing powers allow it to “suspend or restrict” video sharing platforms that fail to protect the public from “harmful material” — potentially including inflammatory and often unverified videos that purport to show violence from immigrant communities, which have proliferated online. These rules don’t currently extend to social media companies in general, but the Online Safety Act is likely to grant Ofcom more power when it comes into force sometime between late 2024 and early 2025.
Civil unrest has been reported nationwide after a 17-year-old attacked children with a knife at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, killing three girls below the age of 10. Misinformation falsely claiming the perpetrator was an asylum seeker quickly spread across social media platforms, sparking far-right anti-immigration protests and violence predominantly targeting Muslim and nonwhite communities.
While the letter is directed toward online platforms generally, both the messaging app Telegram and X have been especially slow to address the situation. The Times reports that posts on X promoting the unrest made by Tommy Robinson (legal name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), one of the UK’s most recognized far-right extremists, have attracted over 434 million views since the riots began. Robinson was permanently banned from the platform for “hateful conduct” in 2018, before having his account restored by Elon Musk in November of last year.
Musk himself has also repeatedly promoted posts and misinformation about the discord, commenting that “civil war is inevitable” on video footage of the riots. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there’s “no justification for comments like that,” in a statement responding to Musk. “What we’ve seen in this country is organised, violent thuggery that has no place, either on our streets or online.”
Ofcom’s letter tacitly admits it’s still limited in its enforcement, even as it warned platforms it would be keeping an eye on them. “In a few months, new safety duties under the Online Safety Act will be in place, but you can act now – there is no need to wait to make your sites and apps safer for users,” said Whitehead.