Musk's X Accuses Britain of Online Safety 'Overreach'
PARIS: Elon Musk’s social media platform X on Friday (Aug 1) accused Britain of regulatory “overreach” following the implementation of the country’s Online Safety Act, a law designed to protect children from harmful content such as pornography.
“The Online Safety Act’s laudable intentions are at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach,” X said on its Global Government Affairs account. “A plan ostensibly intended to keep children safe is at risk of seriously infringing on the public’s right to free expression.”
CONCERNS OVER FREE SPEECH, DUPLICATION
X also criticised a new police unit set up to monitor social media and a recently introduced code of conduct for online platforms, calling the measures “parallel and duplicative.” The company suggested these initiatives could further erode free speech.
Despite its criticism, X said it has begun complying with the law by rolling out age-verification systems in Britain, Ireland and the wider European Union. These include estimating a user’s age based on account details, using AI to assess selfies, or requiring the upload of official ID documents.
FINES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE
Under the Online Safety Act, which came into force on Jul 25, UK media regulator Ofcom requires such age checks to be “technically accurate, robust, reliable and fair.” Companies that fail to comply face fines of up to £18 million (US$24 million) or 10 per cent of global revenue, whichever is higher. Repeat offenders risk being blocked in the UK.
WIDER DEBATE OVER PRIVACY
The UK’s move follows similar efforts in France and several US states, where governments have pushed for stricter age verification for pornography sites. Supporters say the rules are necessary to protect minors, but critics warn that such policies could undermine user privacy and heighten the risk of identity theft if sensitive data were compromised.
As users seek workarounds, demand for virtual private networks (VPNs) has surged. According to British media, VPN app Proton reported an 1,800 per cent rise in downloads since last week, with multiple VPN apps topping Apple’s UK app store.
