Keir Starmer, UK regulator, confront social media’s role amid unrest
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The news: UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom urged online service providers to act to prevent their platforms from being used to incite violence, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced inflammatory remarks from Elon Musk amid escalating violence across Britain.
The context: Mobs were expected at as many as 30 locations on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported, following days of riots triggered by misinformation about a stabbing in Southport that killed three girls.
Musk has used his platform X to criticise Starmer and spread inflammatory content. He posted “civil war is inevitable,” on Sunday, as riots raged in the country, and has continued his criticism since then, including questioning Starmer’s response to attacks on various communities.
British lawmakers are considering calling Musk to a parliamentary committee over X’s role in spreading misinformation, the BBC reported.
The numbers: Extremist groups have used platforms like X, Facebook, TikTok and Telegram in the past 10 days to fuel racism and violence across the UK, including disinformation about the stabbing. Amid the chaos, which has seen over 400 arrests and targeted violence against immigrant businesses, Starmer has called out social media companies for their role in inciting disorder, saying online crimes must be legally addressed.
What they said: "If you provoke violent disorder on our streets or online, you will face the full force of the law," Starmer said. Telegram told the BBC that its moderators were removing channels and posts “containing calls to violence,” as they breached their terms of service. That included a 15,000-member group that was influential in organising nationwide protests, disseminating racist messages, spreading misinformation and issuing violent threats in recent days.
The sources: BBC , Ofcom letter
