“Why aren’t all groups protected in the UK?” That question appeared on Musk’s X account this week, in response to a video of a group of masked men of colour. The group had gathered in a pub in Birmingham, one of the hotspots of the riots, and were said to have attacked far-right supporters in the area. A second message followed shortly after, referring to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer: #twotierKeir.
Last week, Musk took aim at Starmer and his brand new Labour government, coining the term “two-tier Keir.” The phrase is an allusion to the term “two-tier policing,” which refers to the framework in which police structurally repress white right-wing groups. British politicians are now being attacked online for alleged police bias.
About the author
Maartje Geels is a news reporter for of Volkskrant.
Musk’s role in last week’s British riots is notable, says Sander van der Linden, a professor of social psychology at Cambridge University. He, as owner, not only determines X’s policy; he also actively positions himself as a political commentator on the platform. ‘When Musk places a comment under a post, it starts a stream of user engagement. He thereby determines what attention will be paid to X,’ the professor says. And that trickles down to the offline world.
Musk’s position, which has 193 million followers on X, is unique in this regard, Van der Linden believes. ‘(Facebook owner) Mark Zuckerberg is at odds with the European Union. But you don’t see him trolling the EU president through that platform.’
Superspreaders of disinformation
Since the Tesla CEO took over Twitter in 2022, the already controversial social media platform has undergone a transformation. “Before Musk, Twitter had moderation and fact-checking teams. Misinformation was quickly removed and users were ‘banned’ for violating guidelines. Musk kicked out those departments,” explains Van der Linden, who specialises in the field of disinformation.
‘Super spreaders‘ disinformation’ have also been allowed back. For example, far-right activist Tommy Robinson has had his account restored after being permanently banned from the platform in 2018 for “hate speech”. From his holiday home in Cyprus, Robinson sparked riots in the UK last week.
“We know that most of the disinformation is spread through big influencer accounts, like Robinson’s,” says Van der Linden. Controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who is suspected of human trafficking, also falls into this category. He wrote on the platform that the author was an “illegal migrant.” In reality, he was a 17-year-old boy born in Cardiff, whose parents had emigrated from Rwanda in 2002.
Disinformation has a reward
Since Musk took over the platform, it has undergone further changes that encourage misinformation. Users can now cancel a blue ‘check mark’. This ensures better visibility of their messages.
In X the distribution of ‘low quality content‘ is also encouraged, Van der Linden sees. Users can earn money from ads that X displays in the comments section of posts. “The more interaction, the more money you earn.” Disinformation, such as about the identity of the Southport suspect, is much more popular than, for example, verified BBC reports, explains the professor. He therefore speaks of a “perverse incentive” to spread disinformation.
The British government divided
The online feud between Musk and the British government began after a tweet in which the American claimed that civil war in the UK was “inevitable” (the message has been viewed nearly 10 million times since it was posted on August 4). The British government was forced to intervene; a spokesman for Prime Minister Starmer threatened that “anyone who fuels violence online will feel the full force of the legislation.”
The speed and tone with which Starmer responded shows the divide that currently grips the British government. The unrest in cities such as Plymouth, Liverpool, Hull and Belfast poses the first major challenge for the Prime Minister, who only moved into Downing Street a month ago. By deploying thousands of extra police, he hopes to put an end to street unrest. But the violence is not just happening there; it is also increasing online.
Legislation that should tackle online hate, the so-called Online Safety Bill, is already on the table but will not come into force until next year. What tools does the British government have?
Van der Linden: “Governments could put pressure on app stores like Apple to stop offering app X, because the platform does not comply with hate speech laws.”
The professor hopes that European countries will propose more legislation to tackle such platforms. A good thing, says Van der Linden. ‘Unlike in the US, hate speech on the internet is not protected here by freedom of expression. Governments will have to rely on that.’