What can the UK government do about Twitter? What should it do about Twitter? And what does Elon Musk even care?
The multibillionaire owner of Twitter has had a fun week stirring up unrest on his platform. Everyone agrees that something should be done.
Bruce Daisley, former Twitter EMEA VP, suggests personal liability:
In the short term, Musk and fellow executives should be reminded of their criminal liability for their actions under existing laws. The UK government’s Online Safety Act 2023 should be beefed up with immediate effect. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his team should reflect if Ofcom is fit to deal with the fast-paced actions of the likes of Musk.
Ewan McGaughey, a professor of law at King’s College, London, had a more specific suggestion for what the government could do:
Ofcom has the power to regulate online media content under section 232 of the Communications Act 2003. Ofcom could choose to assert its powers. Alternatively, the government could make a simple change to bring Twitter under the stricter broadcast controls.
The Online Safety Act is getting a rough deal when it comes to tackling harmful content on social networks. The defence of the act is that it functions less as a piece of legislation to force companies to behave differently and more as something that lets Ofcom beat them around the head with their own promises.
In practice, Twitter’s terms of service are likely to prohibit many of the worst posts related to the riots in Britain. However, the rules seem to be inconsistently applied. And that’s the point where Ofcom could start being very pushy indeed with Musk and the company he owns.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/13/why-elon-musks-fun-week-of-stirring-up-unrest-shows-the-limits-of-our-online-safety-laws