Elon Musk’s X accuses UK Online Safety Act of “increasing censorship”
Elon Musk’s X has accused the UK’s Online Safety Act of seriously “increasing censorship”, as the country battles to protect children from being exposed to explicit or harmful content online.
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Elon Musk’s X has accused the UK’s Online Safety Act of seriously “increasing censorship”, as the country battles to protect children from being exposed to explicit or harmful content online.
Since last Friday, social media companies and adult websites must verify users’ age using methods like facial scans, photo ID, and credit card checks. The law aims to protect children from being exposed to sensitive material online, like self-harm or eating disorder content.
According to X, there should be “significant changes” in the law, otherwise “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,” X said in a statement.
“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.
“When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of 'online safety.’ It is fair to ask if UK citizens were equally aware of the trade-off being made.”
According to the UK government, statements suggesting that the law infringes free speech are “demonstrably false”, and there are provisions in place to protect freedom of expression, the Guardian reports.
X has introduced age verification, working “hard to be in compliance”, but said it still faced the threat of fines, forcing “over-censorship.” The platform is planning to introduce facial age estimation using its own artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Companies that fail to comply with the law face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of their global revenue, whichever is higher.
A federal appeals court on Friday revived part of a previously dismissed lawsuit accusing X of becoming a haven for child exploitation, saying the platform was negligent by failing to promptly report a video containing explicit images of two underage boys.