Key facts
- X has refused to remove dozens of social media posts containing racial slurs targeting UK politicians.
- Researchers found X primarily acts on content reported as illegal under the UK's Online Safety Act.
- The platform's approach has been criticized for granting racists impunity.
- Kemi Badenoch and other UK politicians have been targeted with racial slurs.
- X eventually restricted visibility for some posts only after legal reporting was threatened or regulators intervened.
X has been accused of allowing racist content to proliferate on its platform by refusing to remove dozens of posts containing racial slurs, including the N-word and P-word, which targeted prominent UK politicians. Researchers from the thinktank British Future reported numerous instances of hate speech, but X largely refused to act unless posts were specifically flagged as illegal under the UK's Online Safety Act. This approach, which involves restricting visibility only within the UK for illegal content, has led to accusations that the platform grants racists impunity.
British Future reported 30 posts using the N-word against Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch this year. In most cases, X declined to take action, even when the posts were reported as 'hate, abuse or harassment.' The platform only considered action when posts were described as illegal, a process researchers found cumbersome. X eventually restricted visibility for only two of the 30 messages after legal reporting was threatened. Similarly, after reporting 33 posts using the P-word on May 15, X initially took no action. It was only after intervention from the regulator Ofcom that X restricted 20 of these tweets.
Researchers noted that account holders behind offensive tweets have not been suspended, with one instance of the N-word being used 45 times in a week. The platform's owner, Elon Musk, has been criticized for amplifying far-right narratives. A surge in racist posts targeting Kemi Badenoch was observed on June 2, following a speech by Nigel Farage, indicating a link between far-right political sentiment and hate speech on X. Ofcom stated its role is to ensure platforms have appropriate measures to comply with their duties, not to dictate specific content takedowns, and that X has committed to reviewing suspected illegal terrorist and hate content within 24 hours.