UK culture minister quits X over ‘abuse and misinformation’

UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport volition besides halt utilizing societal media platform.

The United Kingom’s Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has discontinue X, accusing the societal media level of promoting “abuse and misinformation implicit meaningful debate”.

Nandy antecedently raised concerns astir online information and the dispersed of misinformation connected the platform.

In a station connected X connected Thursday, she announced the Department of Culture, Media and Sport volition besides beryllium exiting the platform, which she added “isn’t steadfast for our ideology oregon our communities”.

There was nary contiguous remark from X.

The DCMS is the 2nd UK authorities section to halt utilizing X aft the Attorney General’s Office, which stopped utilizing the level past month. The lawyer wide defended his determination to prohibition his bureau from posting connected X, telling MPs it “constantly descends to racism and misogyny”.

Nandy says she volition stay progressive connected Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Critics successful the UK, the US, and different countries person accused Elon Musk, the proprietor of X, of removing controls designed to forestall misinformation, discrimination, and harassment. Some accidental that since Musk took ownership of Twitter successful 2022, and rebranded it arsenic X, the level has promoted extremist worldly and a “toxic” online civilization that whips up “division”.

This led galore quality outlets, celebrities and organisations to retreat from X.

X nether much regulatory scrutiny

Nandy’s announcement comes arsenic Musk’s level faces increasing regulatory scrutiny and governmental unit successful the UK and elsewhere ⁠over concerns astir online safety, misinformation and AI-generated content.

In January, the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, opened an probe into X implicit concerns that its Grok AI chatbot was being utilized to make and stock amerciable nonconsensual intimate images, including contented involving minors.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described immoderate of ⁠the images arsenic “disgusting” and “unlawful”, portion ministers said platforms had a work to support users from harmful content.

Last month, Starmer unveiled a societal media prohibition for under-16s which helium said would springiness youngsters backmost their childhood.

Musk has repeatedly ‌criticised the UK’s attack to online regulation, arguing that measures – including the Online Safety Act, passed successful October 2023 – hazard restricting escaped speech.