Elon Musk's X Accuses UK Of ‘Censorship' Over Online Safety Laws: 'Free Speech Will Suffer'
Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) criticised UK's new online safety regulations, warning that the laws risk suppressing free expression and amount to state-sponsored censorship. The Elon Musk-owned company said, 'Free speech will suffer. The Act's laudable intentions are at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach. Without a more balanced, collaborative approach, free speech will suffer."
The criticism comes days after new provisions under the UK's Online Safety Act came into force. Among them is a requirement for websites- including adult and social media platforms- to verify users' ages to prevent children from accessing explicit or violent material.
X said it had worked to comply with the new rules, including introducing age verification mechanisms but warned that the threat of significant financial penalties could lead platforms to over-censor. The company said, 'Many are now concerned that a plan ostensibly intended to keep children safe is at risk of seriously infringing on the public's right to free expression."
The UK government has defended the legislation as per which companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover- a figure that could amount to £200 million in X's case. Earlier this week, the UK's media regulator Ofcom said it had begun investigations into dozens of websites that had not introduced required safeguards. It confirmed it had written to US-based firms to remind them of their obligations.
X also criticised measures that would enable police to monitor social media for content deemed anti-immigrant, arguing this 'oversteps the intended mission" of child protection.
X's criticism echoes comments made by Elon Musk in which he described the Online Safety Act as a 'suppression of the people." He also endorsed a public petition calling for the law's repeal, which has gathered over 450,000 signatures.
However, Ofcom insisted the rules do not require platforms to restrict legal content for adults as a spokesperson said, 'They must carefully consider how they protect users' rights to freedom of expression while keeping people safe."
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