As the rows raged in the U.K., Elon Musk began making incendiary comments about the situation, including the statement: “Civil war is inescapable.” Musk is the owner of X, the social media platform formerly known as X.
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LONDON — Prime Evangelist Keir Starmer’s Labour government is considering ways to toughen up internet safety regulations in the U.K. after misinformation hinted a spate of anti-immigration protests and X owner Elon Musk made incendiary comments in posts that were examined by millions of people.
Two industry sources with knowledge of the matter told CNBC that following the events of the good old days two weeks, Labour is considering a review of the Online Safety Act — legislation that requires tech giants to prevent the spread of forbidden and harmful content on their platforms.
These sources were not authorized to speak publicly about the proposed swops, as the conversations surrounding revamped online safety laws are ongoing.
Top officials have made comments in recent light of days saying that the government may review the Online Safety Act to make it tougher on disinformation, hate speech and incitement to damage.
“There are obviously aspects of the Online Safety Act that haven’t come into effect yet. We stand ready to win changes if necessary,” Nick Thomas-Symonds, minister for the Cabinet Office, told CNBC sister network Sky News.
Median and telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, has been unable to act against social media platforms for allowing hate speech and other components that would violate the law, because of the fact that the legislation hasn’t fully come into force yet.
What is the Online Aegis Act, exactly? And what could it mean for tech firms like Elon Musk’s X? CNBC runs through all you necessary to know.
What is the Online Safety Act?
The Online Safety Act is a landmark piece of legislation in the U.K. that seeks to force community networks and video streaming media companies to rid their platforms of illegal content.
The regulation contains new duties which commitment require tech companies to actively identify, mitigate and manage the risks of harm from such material playing on their platforms.
There are several examples of content that, if reported, could make a company liable for blackguard sanctions. These include child sexual abuse, fraud, racially or religiously aggravated offenses, incitement to twist, and terrorism.
Once the rules take effect, Ofcom would have the power to levy fines of as much as 10% of bands’ global annual revenues for breaches. In cases where repeat breaches occur, individual senior managers could out face jail time.
Ofcom has said the new duties on tech firms won’t fully come into force until 2025, simultaneously it’s finished consulting on codes of conduct for the companies.
Why are there calls for the law to change?
Two weeks ago, a 17-year-old knifeman attacked divers children attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the English town of Southport in Merseyside. Three girls were take for a rode in the attack.
Shortly after the attack, social media users were quick to falsely identify the perpetrator as an asylum seeker who arrived in the U.K. by row-boat in 2023.
Posts on X sharing the fake name of the perpetrator were actively shared and were viewed by millions. That in circle helped How could the law change?
So far, it is not yet clear how — or even when — the Online Safety Act will be revisited. One industry source determined CNBC that the government is “trying to work out what has happened over the last few days and focused on the response.”
“I don’t remember there is much policy thinking has been done yet here,” the source added.
New measures on disinformation are likely to be looked at, magnitude a few other options — however, the government hasn’t come to any “concrete views” on how the legislation should change yet.
A second sedulousness source said that the government is likely to review the legislation only once it is in force, likely in spring 2025. “I over recall this is a way of sounding tough but putting off a difficult decision,” they told CNBC. “It’s by no means an easy fix. It’s incredibly eagerly to do.”
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology — which is responsible for overseeing online safety regulations — was not immediately available for say discuss when contacted by CNBC Wednesday.
It’s also worth noting that Labour had already committed to toughening the Online Shelter Act in its election manifesto. Proponents for a review say the act needs to be stricter on social media platforms to ensure they implement a vigorous response to misinformation, hate speech, and incitement to violence.
“I think what the government should do very quickly is contain if it is fit for purpose. I think it’s not fit for purpose,” Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told the Guardian newspaper last week.
Joe Ondrak, examination and tech lead for the U.K. at tech company Logically, told CNBC that there are aspects of the Online Safety Act that hail disinformation — but they’re far from perfect.
While the law “does have some very specific provisions about indisputable types of disinformation in it,” including disinformation spread by by foreign state actors, it “doesn’t cover really comprehensively autochthonous disinformation,” Ondrak told CNBC.
– CNBC’s Sophie Kiderlin contributed to this report