UK communications regulator Ofcom published an open letter to social media platforms following the recent events in Belfast, reiterating their legal responsibilities to combat online hate content and posts encouraging violence. The Authority reminded that within the scope of the Online Safety Act 2023, platforms are obliged to evaluate and reduce the risks of illegal activities. These obligations include measures to prevent the spread of content that encourages hate crimes or incites violence. Ofcom expects platforms to not only remove such content, but also develop systems to reduce the risk of it appearing.
The publication of the letter came right after the social events in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. After a Dublin man was attacked with a knife on Monday, a lawsuit was filed against the suspect, who is said to be a Sudanese citizen, on charges of attempted murder. Following the incident, discussions about the attacker’s origin and immigration history spread rapidly on social media, and it was seen that especially far-right anti-immigrant circles carried the issue into political discussions. According to the information provided by the Washington Post, in the events held throughout the night, houses in some neighborhoods where immigrants live densely were set on fire by masked people.
A significant portion of the content spread on the internet consisted of anti-immigrant rhetoric and unsubstantiated allegations of assault. This situation brought to the agenda again the question to what extent social media platforms can prevent the spread of misinformation and hate speech in times of crisis.
Elon Musk’s posts were also at the center of discussions
One of the developments that attracted attention after the events was some of the posts of Elon Musk, the owner of X, on the platform. Musk helped various users and political figures reach large audiences by resharing their posts criticizing immigration policies or evaluating events within this framework. These included far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s post claiming that there is a privileged legal and police system for immigrants in the UK.
In addition, Musk republished a post by Rupert Lowe, who is affiliated with the Restore Britain MP movement, with an image associated with the attack and associated with calls for mass deportation. Statements by former academic and former Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin, who argued that the tensions in the country were caused by uncontrolled immigration policies, were also included in Musk’s account.
Musk’s posts, which have approximately 240 million followers, are of special importance in terms of visibility on the platform. Previously, in various news, allegations that X’s algorithm was adjusted to provide more access to Musk’s posts were brought to the agenda. For this reason, it is evaluated that Musk’s re-shared content may increase its circulation on the platform.
On the other hand, there is no direct call for violence in any of Musk’s posts. Despite this, criticism continues that the content in question may contribute to the spread of misinformation and polarizing discourses in times of high social tension. This situation also brought to the agenda again the commitments that X made to the British authorities in May and that he would continue his efforts to reduce hate content and terrorist propaganda.
Ofcom’s letter comes on the heels of new safety expectations the agency announced the day before. The regulatory body wants platforms to take faster and more effective measures in case of a sudden increase in illegal content, especially during crisis periods. This includes mechanisms and risk assessment processes to limit the spread of misinformation.
However, Ofcom’s practices are occasionally criticized by technology companies. Meta filed a lawsuit against the institution’s sanctions and supervision framework in May, arguing that some obligations were disproportionate. Despite this, the Online Safety Act, which came into force in the United Kingdom, continues to expand the responsibilities of social media companies regarding content moderation. The events in Belfast have again accelerated the discussions on how these regulations will be implemented in practice.