X Promises Faster Action Against Hate And Terror Content In UK

Social media platform X has committed to taking quicker action on reports of suspected illegal hate speech and terrorist content in the United Kingdom under new measures accepted by media regulator Ofcom.

The Elon Musk-owned platform said it would review reports submitted through its illegal content reporting system within an average timeframe of 24 hours.

The commitment forms part of Ofcom’s ongoing efforts to ensure major social media platforms strengthen their response to harmful and illegal online content.

Ofcom’s online safety director, Oliver Griffiths, described the development as a positive step, particularly in light of recent religiously motivated attacks targeting Jewish communities across the UK.

According to the regulator, X will provide performance data every three months over the next year to allow monitoring of its compliance with the new targets.

In addition to aiming for an average review time of less than 24 hours, the company also pledged to assess at least 85 per cent of reports within 48 hours.

Ofcom said the platform had also agreed to engage with experts and organisations regarding the effectiveness of its reporting systems for illegal hate and terrorist content.

The regulator noted that some groups previously complained about uncertainty over whether reports they submitted to X were received or acted upon.

Under another commitment, X said it would restrict access in the UK to accounts identified as being operated by or linked to terrorist organisations banned in the country.

The announcement follows Ofcom’s broader compliance programme launched in December to examine whether major social media companies have adequate systems for tackling illegal online material.

The regulator said evidence suggested that terrorist content and illegal hate speech were still circulating on some large social media platforms.

Reacting to the development, the chief executive of the Antisemitism Policy Trust, Danny Stone, welcomed the move but insisted more work remained to be done in addressing racism and harmful content online.

Iman Atta, director of anti-Muslim hate monitoring group Tell Mama, also described the commitments as encouraging, saying they reflected a more accountable approach by the platform.

Meanwhile, Ofcom confirmed that a separate investigation into X’s artificial intelligence tool, Grok, over concerns relating to the creation of sexualised images, is still ongoing.