Is X allowing racists to post with 'impunity'?
What's the story
Social media platform X has been accused of giving racists 'impunity' by refusing to remove posts containing racial slurs. The allegations come from British Future, a think tank that advocates for social inclusion. The organization found 30 instances this year where Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party in the UK, was racially abused with the N-word.
Reporting challenges
British Future flagged posts using X's reporting tool
British Future reported the posts using X's "hate, abuse or harassment" reporting option. However, in most cases, the platform did not act despite repeated requests. Avaes Mohammad of British Future said that many people would naturally report racist posts as 'hate, abuse or harassment,' but it seems like X doesn't consider such content as hate.
Legal criteria
X only takes action if posts are illegal in UK
The Guardian has learned that X only takes action on posts when they're reported as illegal under the UK's Online Safety Act. In such cases, it restricts visibility in the UK while leaving the post untouched in other jurisdictions. This was seen when British Future flagged 33 instances of the P-word being used against public figures in May.
Inaction
X asked British Future to report posts differently
Despite British Future's report, X did not remove any of the 33 posts within 48 hours. When asked why, the platform advised the organization to report the posts using the "UK illegal content" option from its "report post" menu. It added that reports made through other channels are handled under its general policies and do not count toward specific expedited review targets under the Online Safety Act.
Limited response
X restricted 20 tweets within the UK
X did restrict 20 tweets within the UK after Ofcom's intervention, but took no action against the rest. British Future also reported nine more posts using the P-word against British Asian public figures on May 26, but in six cases, X failed to act as they were reported as "hate, abuse or harassment."
Impunity concerns
Average of 1 racist slur daily against Badenoch this year
British Future has raised concerns that X's approach allows racists to operate with impunity on its platform. "The accounts we are reporting are often replete with mentions of Reform and Restore," Mohammad added. "In May, the N-word racist slur was used about Kemi Badenoch an average of once a day. But on June 2, after Badenoch responded to Nigel Farage's speech about Henry Nowak, there were 16 examples in a day."