UK to tighten internet safety laws after far-right riots: CNBC
4 Min Read
The Online Safety Act, enacted in October 2023, requires tech companies to remove illegal and harmful content from their platforms.
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Elon Musk speaks at a press conference at SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on February 10, 2022. (AFP via Getty Images)
The UK government plans to tighten regulations on the distribution of illegal content online in response to recent unrest, according to a CNBC report, citing two industry sources.
The Online Safety Act, enacted in October 2023, requires tech companies to remove illegal and harmful content from their platforms.
Failure to comply could result in fines from media regulator Ofcom and senior managers may face imprisonment. Discussions about revising the law are ongoing, following a recent statement by US entrepreneur Elon Musk concerning the situation in the UK.
Musk, alongside several other critics, accused the government of restricting freedom of speech and operating a "two-tier" justice system where white British suspects are punished harsher compared to immigrants.
“Sure seems like unequal justice in the UK,” Musk said on X alongside a series of memes comparing newly-elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer to a Nazi officer and the British government to George Orwell's "1984" totalitarian dictatorship.
This comes shortly after London's Metropolitan police commissioner threatened to charge foreigners amid the UK's ongoing far-right, anti-Muslim protests for "whipping up hatred" online, stating that billionaire and X owner Elon Musk could face potential prosecution.
“We will throw the full force of the law at people. And whether you’re in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online, we will come after you,” Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told Sky News on Friday.
The commissioner added that “being a keyboard warrior does not make you safe from the law,” naming “the likes of Elon Musk” as potential investigation targets when asked about charging people on social media residing outside the UK.
More than 700 people have been arrested as of Friday, with over 300 charged for their suspected participation in the anti-Muslim riots and over 30 have been indicted with online crimes. These offenses consist of sharing footage of the ongoing violent riots or posting content that the Crown Prosecutorial Service describes as inciting "violence or hatred."
'Legal but harmful' online content
The Telegraph reported on Friday that Starmer may potentially amend the UK's Online Safety Act to persecute social media companies that enable the spread of "legal but harmful" content.
The clause was originally intended to be passed by the former Conservative government, but it was withdrawn after receiving backlash from Business and Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch, who criticized the bill as “legislating for hurt feelings.”
Elon Musk shares fake news that England rioters to be sent to Falklands
Elon Musk shared a fake article falsely attributed to The Telegraph, claiming that Keir Starmer was considering sending far-right rioters to "emergency detainment camps" in the Falklands.
Musk deleted his post after about 30 minutes, but before it was removed, a screenshot captured by Politics.co.uk showed it had nearly two million views.
The post included an image shared by Ashlea Simon, co-leader of the far-right group Britain First, with the caption, “We’re all being deported to the Falklands.”
The fabricated article, styled to appear as though it was written by a senior The Telegraph reporter, falsely claimed that Falklands camps would be used to detain prisoners from ongoing riots due to overcrowding in the British prison system.
The Telegraph confirmed last Thursday that it had never published the article and stated, "This is a fabricated headline for an article that does not exist. We notified relevant platforms and requested that the post be taken down.”
The newspaper said in a post on X that it was “aware of an image circulating on X which purports to be a Telegraph article about ‘emergency detainment camps’. No such article has ever been published by the Telegraph.”
Musk has not apologized for sharing the fake report but has continued to post content criticizing the UK government and law enforcement's handling of the riots.
Read next: Rioters 'will pay the price' amid anti-Muslim protests: UK government
