Elon Musk Triggers Controversy In The UK, Implementation Of The Online Security Law Must Be Implemented Immediately

Elon Musk has been accused of exacerbating in England (photo: x @cb_doge)

JAKARTA Elon Musk has been accused of exacerbating tensions after a week of far-right unrest in Britain, sparking calls for the government to accelerate the implementation of laws governing malicious online content.

False information and calls for violence have spread on social media after far-right and anti-Muslim groups took advantage of the fatal stabbing of three young girls in the British city of Southport. As rioters battled with police in several cities, Musk was involved in a debate on his X-platform, citing that civil war was "irresistible" in Britain. Prime Minister spokesman Keir Starmer said the comments were "unproven."

Starmer also warned social media companies that the chaos of online media-triggered violence is a crime "at your place," adding that there needs to be "equilibrium" in dealing with these companies.

Official responses reflect the difficult situation facing the government. The Online Security Act was passed in October but has not yet been implemented. The law gives the regulator of the Media Ofcom power to impose fines of up to 10% of global social media turnover if they are found to have violated the law, for example by failing to monitor content that triggers violence or terrorism.

However, Ofcom is still drafting guidelines on how they will implement the law, with new law enforcement expected early next year. After the latest violence, some have called for this rule to be implemented more quickly.

Adam Leon Smith, a member of the BCS industry body, asked Ofcom to immediately enforce the Online Security Act. "There must be a point where the owner of the foreign billionaire platform must be responsible for the toxic bot network that has become one of the main sources of fake news and misleading information in the UK," he said.

Kirsty Blackman, a lawmaker from the Scottish National Party, also expressed his support for accelerating the schedule for implementing the law. "I support measures to speed up the schedule," he said. "The obligation must be implemented as soon as possible, especially for the largest and most risky platforms."

A spokesman for Ofcom said, "We are moving quickly to implement the Online Security Act so we can enforce it as quickly as possible. To do this, we have to consult on code of practice and guidance, after which new security obligations on the platform will become enforceable."

Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Meanwhile, Musk's post on X on this issue has been read by tens of millions of users. Several posts containing misleading information about Kurdish teenagers convicted of rape in the UK have been viewed 53 million times, while posts suggesting that the Muslim community should have seen 54 million times as they should have received police protection.

While the comments may not violate the rules on illegal content directly, allowing direct invitations to violence can violate. "We will encourage Ofcom to speed up its work on guidelines, so that X and other social media platforms face financial sanctions if they don't remove harmful content," said Iman Atta, director of the Tell MAMA advocacy group, who monitors anti-Muslim activities in the UK. "There is a need to force platforms to take more drastic action against extremism and hate speech," he added.