In response to incidents like the recent Belfast attack, social media platforms are set to encounter new restrictions during periods of crisis.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has announced plans to revise online safety regulations, granting the regulator Ofcom the authority to enforce stricter controls during times of heightened social and political unrest.
This initiative will empower Ofcom to mandate that tech companies take decisive measures against content that has the potential to ‘incite violence or disorder.’
The decision comes amid increasing frustration among government officials regarding the influence of figures like Elon Musk, who can amplify public anxiety during events such as the murder of Henry Nowak and the recent knife attack in Belfast.
However, this proposal is poised to ignite a significant debate over censorship and could potentially lead to a dispute with the White House concerning free speech rights.
In a statement shared on Elon Musk’s platform, X, Liz Kendall declared, “Those who use social media to incite violence and disorder are breaking the law. Next week, we will present an update to the Online Safety Act in Parliament, compelling services to act swiftly in removing illegal content during times of crisis.”
She added: ‘I have explicitly asked Ofcom to discuss urgently with X and other platforms how they will comply with the Online Safety Act.’
Government sources said the move would cover any material which Ofcom considers might incite violence or disorder.
Police assess the damage to a burnt-out house in east Belfast after troubled flared in the city
Ministers are targeting Elon Musk over posts about the Belfast attack and Henry Nowak
This would include direct calls to violence but could be drawn much wider. It would be up to the regulator to determine whether material such as graphic footage of the Belfast attack, would be included.
It is unclear who will determine what constitutes a ‘time of crisis’.
The prominent Reform UK politician Matt Goodwin urged ministers to focus on dealing with the causes of public anger rather than trying to police social media.
‘It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”,’ he said. ‘It’s not Elon Musk. It’s not Nigel Farage. It’s not the “far-right”. It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration and open borders. This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.’
Mr Musk responded to Mr Goodwin with a one-word post, saying: ‘Exactly.’
But Labour Party chair Anna Turley said Mr Musk should stay out of sensitive political events like the Belfast attack.
Speaking before Ms Kendall’s announcement, she told Times Radio: ‘He’s not a victim… he’s not living in the kind of communities where we’re seeing this kind of activity. He’s not at risk. It’s mums and families and people living in those homes in Belfast and on the streets of Britain who are at risk.
‘He has a responsibility – everyone in public and civil life has a responsibility to call for calm and not to stoke grievance or hatred or division or tension that puts vulnerable people and our communities at risk.’
Stormy weather: Liz Kendall’s social media crackdown risks a free speech row with the White House
Asked if the government could censor social media, she said: ‘I’m not going to get into that, but I think the government will look at everything. We know that we are concerned about the impact on democracy, of some of the disinformation and misinformation that is circulating on social media. We absolutely have to have a look at bad faith actors, about some of the foreign interference that is used by social media to stoke civil unrest. So we have to look at the whole spectrum of this.’
Mr Musk has posted a series of messages about the Belfast attack on his X site.
He shared a pro-deportation message from Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe containing a graphic image of the alleged Belfast attacker, alongside the caption: ‘Millions must go.’
He also shared a post from far-right leader Tommy Robinson setting out a schedule of protests around the UK, adding his own caption: ‘Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!’
In the Commons, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey called for action against ‘extremists who exploit that grief and anger to spread hatred and violence, aided and abetted by social media barons like Elon Musk and their divisive algorithms’.
Addressing Keir Starmer, he said: ‘Does the Prime Minister agree this is not who we are as a country, and that it is not free speech if it is controlled by tech billionaires and their algorithms?
‘So, will he crack down properly on platforms like X that are fuelling violence and hatred?’
Sir Keir responded: ‘We will crack down on anyone who is fuelling this division.’
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman pointed to fines issued by Ofcom under the Online Safety Act and nearly 100 investigations launched under it, as well as action taken against chatbot Grok earlier this year.
‘And we’ve always said that that Act is the start, not the end of the conversation,’ he said, referring to the legislation designed to protect people online.
Ofcom said some of the disorder in Belfast ‘appears to have been incited online,’ adding: ‘This has included racially motivated incidents of violence, arson attacks on homes and vehicles, and attacks against police.’
The watchdog said it was contacting specific providers – although it would not confirm which ones – ‘where we believe there are specific risks around the presence of illegal content relating to the civil unrest’.
