UK agency urges social media companies to crack down on violent rhetoric

U.K. communications regulator Ofcom is calling on social media companies to increase their moderation of the violent rhetoric and material on their platforms as riots rock the nation.

In an open letter to online service providers in Great Britain, the regulator urged the tech firms to take actions to avoid their platforms “from being used to stir up hatred, provoke violence” or other violations of British law.

Gill Whitehead, the Ofcom group director for online safety, pointed to the company’s existing ability to ensure video-sharing platforms effectively prepare and respond to any spread of “harmful video material.”

While this currently does not apply to social media companies, the Online Safety Act will likely expand Ofcom’s regulation powers when it comes into place.

“In a few months, new safety duties under the Online Safety Act will be in place, but you can act now — there is no need to wait to make your sites and apps safer for users,” Whitehead wrote in the letter.

The U.K. has faced unrest for several days after misinformation circulated on social media last week about the teen suspect charged with fatally stabbing three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class and wounding 10 others on July 29.

The suspect was falsely identified as a Muslim asylum-seeker, fueling racial and ethnic tensions and subsequent riots, The Associated Press reported.

U.K. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament last week that false information had already spread online about the attacker’s identity and warned “those who do this for their own purposes risk undermining a crucial criminal investigation.”

Posts, including from far-right activist Tommy Robinson, have reportedly attracted millions of views on the social platform X. Robinson was permanently banned from what was then Twitter in 2018 for “hateful conduct,” but his account was restored last year after tech billionaire Elon Musk bought the platform and eased some of its moderation policies.

Robinson has recently received about 54.3 million daily views on X, compared to the 11.1 million views before stabbing, The Times reported, citing the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

The day following the stabbing, Robinson falsely linked the stabbings to the Muslim community, garnering about 13 million views, the outlet added.

Musk also came under fire this week for arguing “civil war is inevitable” in the wake of the nationwide unrest.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said Monday that there was “no justification” for such remarks.

“What we’ve seen in this country is organized violent thuggery that has no place either on our streets, or online,” the spokesperson added in a statement to The Hill, echoing the prime minister’s Sunday statement to the nation.

“We’re talking about a minority of thugs that do not speak for Britain,” the spokesperson added.

Starmer convened an emergency response meeting this week after the violence began, which he blamed on far-right activists and misinformation on social media.

Musk criticized Starmer over his statement on ensuring the safety of Muslim communities and mosques in the U.K.

The X CEO replied to Starmer’s post, asking, “shouldn’t you be concerned about attacks on *all* communities?”

Sarakshi Rai contributed reporting.