The first months of Britains Labour government brought un-expected friction with Elon Musk‚ the X platform owner whose comments about UK have gotten more hostile since summer
During the july unrest Musk posted that UK civil war was coming soon; his platform X got blamed for spreading wrong info about events. Labour didnt invite him to its big money-making summit (which wasnt smart since he later joined Donald Trumpʼs team)
The science committee chair Chi Onwurah wants answers: she plans to ask Musk to speak about how Xʼs tech worked during riots. But Musk fired back saying British MPs should come to America instead – he thinks theyʼre trying to control what Americans say
This is a genuine invitation to share his views and thoughts; its not a witch hunt
The committee wants to check how Xʼs system works: they need to see if its tech made things worse during southport events. Theyʼre looking at how false stories about attackers spread so fast on social-media platforms
Ms Onwurah thinks its important to understand where free-speech stops: “You cant shout fire in crowded places“ she points out. The real-world impact shows up in places like sunderland where police stations got attacked‚ and asylum-centers faced angry crowds
- Check Xʼs recommendation system
- Look at TikTokʼs content spread
- See if new UK online laws work right
- Find out how platforms stop wrong info
The chances of Musk showing up seem low but the committee says theyd go to texas if needed. With his new job in Trumps future government team – this uk-usa tech clash might get more complex