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As riots intensify in the UK, Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform formerly known as X, has begun making inflammatory statements about the situation, such as calling “civil war inevitable.”
Aytug Can Senkar | Anadolu | Getty Images
LONDON — The British government has held “constructive” talks with Elon Musk’s social media site X over the spread of misinformation and other harmful content, Technology Minister Peter Kyle told CNBC on Friday.
Kyle told CNBC’s Arabile Gumede that the government has been in contact with all major social media platforms, including Musk’s X, over the summer to discuss their role in spreading misinformation and harmful content.
The minister said he had not been in direct contact with Musk himself but was in “frequent contact with local chief executives across the UK”.
“So far the dialogue has been constructive,” he said, adding that there were “differences” between the two parties but they were discussing them.
Kyle said citizens and governments around the world today have higher expectations of social media platforms and their role in keeping people safe and mitigating potential harms that may arise from their products.
“Access to the British economy and society is a privilege and we expect businesses who want to come and work here and sell their products and services to the UK to respect that,” he added.
Kyle’s comments to CNBC came after misinformation spread online following a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in northwest England, sparking far-right anti-immigrant riots and attacks on shops and mosques in towns across the country.
At the time, several social media users spread false information about the suspect, who was charged with murder and attempted murder, claiming he was an asylum seeker.
During the riots, X owner Musk commented on the situation in the UK, calling Prime Minister Keir Starmer “dual personality Keir”, referring to conspiracy theories about police treating white far-right protesters and rioters more harshly than minority groups.
He also suggested the unrest could escalate into a civil war, saying “civil war is inevitable” in a post on X. Musk’s comments were condemned by the British government.
Last week, the Financial Times reported that British MP Dawn Butler, the front-runner to become the next chair of Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, wants to summon Musk to answer questions from MPs if elected.
The paper reported that Butler’s rival, Labour MP Chi Onwurah, also supports an investigation into how algorithms spread misinformation on social media services.
Labour MP Kyle, whose official title is Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology, suggested summoning Musk to the UK was considered a last resort, but added that “innovators” such as the CEOs of Tesla and SpaceX must have a “respectful relationship with our country”.
The minister also told CNBC he was considering whether extra powers were needed to regulate social media companies over the spread of harmful content online.
“I’m continuing to evaluate whether we need additional authority to do that,” he said. “Right now, I want to evaluate and have conversations with those companies.”
Starting in 2025, the UK communications regulator Ofcom will have the power to impose fines of up to 10% of annual global turnover on companies found to have breached the Online Safety Act (OSA), a sweeping set of rules that require digital platforms to effectively police illegal content.
British politicians and campaigners have called for the implementation of the OSA to be accelerated to tackle incidents like the summer’s riots.
A source told CNBC last month that the administration was considering revising the legislation, but there was no timeline for when that would happen.
Ofcom has said it needs to complete its consultation on the tech company code of conduct before it can begin enforcement. A government spokesman told CNBC earlier this year that “the immediate focus is on ensuring that the Online Safety Act is implemented quickly and effectively.”
But the spokesman added: “Our message to social media companies is clear: there is no need to wait. They can and should take immediate action to protect their users.”
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