Social media: a breeding ground for hatred and violence?

Is it time for the UK government to respect human rights and stop persecuting protesters?

In response to the murder of three girls and subsequent riots in the UK, platforms like X and Telegram are enhancing content moderation to curb violent and hateful content^[1]. The UK's forthcoming Online Safety Act will enforce stricter regulations, imposing hefty fines for non-compliance. This raises concerns: Is censorship being expanded under the pretext of combating violence? What are the specific plans and potential repercussions?

The UK’s broadcasting regulator has called on social media companies to prevent their platforms from being used to incite violence during the country’s unrest.

Gill Whitehead, director of Ofcom’s internet safety group, emphasized that video-sharing platforms operating in the UK must protect users from content that may incite violence or hatred.

Platforms are expected to have robust systems in place to anticipate and counter the spread of harmful video content. This directive follows a week of civil unrest and riots across the UK after three young girls were killed in a knife attack in Southport on July 30.

Restrictions are expected to intensify by year-end

Ironically, when Hong Kong faced similar unrest a few years ago, the UK urged its government to avoid suppressing peaceful protests^[2]. Perhaps it's time for the UK to respect human rights and stop persecuting protesters...

Claims are circulating that far-right channels used Telegram to incite hatred against Muslims and promote extremist behavior^[3]. This is the second warning from the internet regulator. The first, dated August 5, highlighted potential financial penalties of up to €20.9 million or 10% of global revenue for tech companies under the forthcoming Online Safety Act.

Elon Musk and Keir Starmer have both hinted at more restrictions as riots persist across the UK.

The UK's new Online Safety Act (OSA) will enforce penalties on platforms failing to protect users from content that incites violence or hatred. Specific guidelines on how platforms should manage such content will be detailed later this year.

Under OSA, platforms with a user base exceeding 3 million will need to adhere to stricter rules, including transparent reporting of hateful content, enhanced measures against fake ads, and improved user identity verification.

Arrested for online activity

People should not have to fear their government, but the recent surge in arrests for online activities suggests otherwise. The growing distrust in government and law enforcement is a slippery slope, with fear of authority potentially leading to tyranny.

Being arrested for internet activity sets a dangerous precedent, raising concerns about how far this could go—perhaps even leading to a referendum.

Local citizens express their frustration, blaming the government's failure to manage asylum applications for the chaos. They question where the police were during previous violent incidents, suggesting that platform moderation and regulation are increasingly restricting free expression.

Moderators screen content for harmful material

When asked how these restrictions are imposed, it's important to understand that major social media platforms enforce community guidelines that users must follow. The methods for enforcing these rules can differ, depending on how content moderation teams are organized.

Most large platforms employ thousands of moderators to review flagged content or proactively search for harmful material using both human reviewers and AI tools.

Elon Musk's reduction of moderation staff at Company X (formerly Twitter) has reportedly allowed harmful content to spread more freely across major platforms, prompting calls for stricter regulation. These regulations may impose criminal liability on senior managers for non-compliance. The crackdown on free speech is evident, as platforms will be required to address every misstep in communication, under the guise of combating street violence in the UK.

For example, a 55-year-old woman was recently arrested by Cheshire Police for discussing a Southport suspect^[4]. Everyone must now navigate these restrictions carefully.