Tech Secretary hits out at Elon Musk over 'online violence' and 'vile' deepfake images on X
Under the Online Safety Act, companies failing to protect users (especially children) from illegal content face severe penalties - including Elon Musk's X
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has hit out at Elon Musk over online content and alleged incitement of violence, saying "repeatedly inciting violence online is illegal, just as it is offline".
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Speaking out against the trillionaire, Ms Kendall said the Government was prepared to challenge major tech platforms when content crossed the line.
She said: “I think people inciting violence online, it is illegal. And this week in Parliament, we're laying new codes of practise about that.”
The Technology Secretary also pointed to a row involving Musk’s AI chatbot and social media platform, adding: “And let me say this: when Grok X and Elon Musk allowed vile deepfake sexualised images of women and children. We told them enough is enough and they backed down.”
X, formerly Twitter, moved to restrict sexual deepfakes mainly by limiting its AI chatbot Grok, including blocking some image-editing features in countries such as the UK where non-consensual altered sexual images are illegal.
Under the Online Safety Act, companies failing to protect users (especially children) from illegal content face severe penalties. Ofcom can issue fines of up to 10 per cent of qualifying worldwide revenue or £18 million - whichever is greater
Asked whether Musk would care about his criticism, the Technology Secretary said: "I don't think he'll give a stuff what I say, but I'm gonna stand up. I care about what's right for the British people and the British law."
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She added: “Water off a duck's back, you know."
On Monday, the Prime Minister announced a social media ban for under-16s in response to concerns that social media is unsafe, making children miserable and could cause lasting damage to young people's mental health.
The restrictions, set to be passed by Christmas and in place by spring next year, will leave technology firms, rather than children, liable for enforcement action if they fail to comply.
Elon Musk has also faced a fierce backlash over a string of posts seen as endorsing violent disorder in Belfast.
Footage showed rioters wearing face coverings and all-black outfits, advancing towards police and attempting to hit officers with bricks and other projectiles. A Glider bus was set ablaze, and 12 police officers injured.
It follows as Sudanese suspect Hadi Alodid was charged with the attempted murder Stephen Ogilvie after a suspected knife attack. He is also accused of making threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife.
The Tesla and SpaceX boss has repeatedly used X, the social media platform he owns, to amplify far-right voices and anti-immigration rhetoric.
Musk pushed back against criticism that he was inflaming tensions surrounding the Northern Ireland unrest, writing: “Murderous migrants beheading innocent people in their home town is what’s making people angry, not ‘social media’!”
He also shared posts claiming Sir Keir Starmer “hates white people”, and another showing an image of the stabbing suspect, who is Black, alongside the caption: “millions must go.”
It is the latest example of Musk using his vast following on X - around 240 million accounts - to intervene in political debates in Britain and across Europe, often focusing on immigration.