X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has been accused of giving racists "impunity" after refusing to remove dozens of posts that have been reported for hate speech, despite repeated requests from researchers at British Future. The issue highlights a critical flaw in X's moderation policies, which only take action against content deemed illegal under the UK's Online Safety Act – and even then, restrict visibility within the UK rather than removing it globally.
Researchers at British Future reported 30 posts this year, all of which used the N-word to refer to Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch. Each post was flagged using X's own 'hate, abuse or harassment' reporting tool, but the platform failed to act on any of them. This has led to accusations that racists are being allowed to operate with impunity on X.
The Online Safety Act places a duty on platforms like X to remove content that is illegal under UK law – including racially or religiously aggravated offending. However, it appears that X's approach only goes as far as restricting the visibility of such content within the UK, rather than removing it globally. This loophole allows racists to continue spreading hate speech on the platform, with little consequence.
The Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, has condemned X's approach, accusing owner Elon Musk of trying to whip up division with his tweets about the murder of Southampton student Henry Nowak. The incident highlights the need for greater accountability from social media platforms in policing hate speech and ensuring user safety.