We will not be bullied off any platform
In the wake of riots sparked by misinformation following a fatal stabbing in Southampton, the UK government finds itself confronting an ancient dilemma in modern form: how does legitimate authority make itself heard when the loudest voices in the room are indifferent to truth? Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, refusing to abandon the very platform amplifying the disorder, is pressing for new regulatory tools — crisis protocols, algorithm resets — that might restore some balance between institutional credibility and viral rage. The struggle is not merely technical; it is a contest over who shapes reality during the moments when reality is most fragile.
- A single post by Elon Musk — one word, 'RAGE' — reached 25 million people, while the Technology Secretary's own messaging on the same platform was seen by fewer than 6,000, exposing the raw asymmetry of power between state and platform.
- Rioting broke out in Southampton after misinformation around the Henry Nowak stabbing spread unchecked, echoing the algorithmic amplification of hate that followed the Southport murders in 2024 — a pattern the government has so far failed to interrupt.
- Kendall is pushing for 'crisis response protocols' and user-controlled algorithm resets, tools designed to slow the feedback loop of extremity before civil unrest can take hold.
- The Online Safety Act, meant to be the government's answer to these harms, is widely criticised as too slow and too full of gaps — most committee recommendations for reform were rejected, and a year of inaction has followed a report the Secretary of State herself called excellent.
- Ofcom is expected to announce regulatory details this month, but the deeper problem remains: legislation moves in years while technology moves in seconds, and the law has not yet found a way to close that gap.
Liz Kendall is not leaving X. When the suggestion arose — implicitly, as it has for some of her colleagues — that she might abandon Elon Musk's platform, she refused. She will not be bullied off, she said. She will stay and speak.
The defiance is set against a backdrop of genuine alarm. Rioting broke out in Southampton following the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak, a case Musk amplified relentlessly to his 240 million followers. One post — the single word 'RAGE,' paired with comments from far-right MP Rupert Lowe — was viewed more than 25 million times. Kendall's own most recent post, about a university visit, reached 5,500 people and was shared eight times. The disparity is not incidental. It is the problem itself.
The government is now weighing new measures for moments of public crisis. Kendall pointed to a Commons committee report from last year that called on Ofcom to establish crisis response protocols holding platforms accountable when false information spreads — a recommendation prompted by the summer 2024 riots, when misinformation cascaded online after three girls were murdered in Southport. Amnesty International later concluded that X's algorithms had contributed to a 'staggering amplification of hate' in the aftermath.
Kendall outlined two approaches: boosting trusted information sources during emergencies, and giving users the ability to reset their algorithms entirely — to break the cycle of recommendation systems that feed increasingly extreme content to people who may not even know those systems exist.
Progress, however, has been slow. Committee chair Chi Onwurah expressed frustration that the Online Safety Act remains riddled with gaps, that most reform recommendations were rejected, and that a year has passed since a report the government praised as excellent. Ofcom is expected to speak this month, but the structural problem endures: the law moves in years; the technology moves in seconds. Kendall acknowledged it plainly — eight years passed between the Act's conception and its implementation. That, she said, is too long.
Elsewhere, Labour MP Jess Asato is suing Musk's xAI over sexually explicit deepfake material generated by its Grok tool and spread across X. Prime Minister Starmer praised her action. Yet Kendall's instinct runs in a different direction — not litigation or departure, but presence and pressure. She will remain on the platform, push for the tools that might make it safer, and refuse to cede the space to those who would use it to spread falsehoods or ignite unrest.
Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, is not leaving X. That much was clear on Thursday when she pushed back against the implicit suggestion that she should abandon Elon Musk's platform, the way some of her colleagues have done. She will not be bullied off, she said. She will stay, and she will speak.
But her defiance comes against a backdrop of genuine alarm. Rioting erupted in Southampton following the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak, a case that Musk has amplified relentlessly to his 240 million followers. One of his posts—a single word, "RAGE," paired with comments from far-right MP Rupert Lowe—was viewed more than 25 million times. By contrast, Kendall's last post on the platform, about a university visit to highlight government backing for innovation, reached 5,500 people and was shared eight times. The disparity is not incidental. It is the entire problem.
The government is now considering fresh measures to contain misinformation during moments of public crisis. Kendall said she was deeply concerned about the role social media plays during times of unrest, particularly when public safety hangs in the balance. She pointed to a report published last year by the Commons science, innovation and technology committee, which had called for Ofcom, the media regulator, to establish "crisis response protocols" that would hold platforms accountable when false information spreads. The committee's investigation had been prompted by the riots of summer 2024, when misinformation cascaded online after three girls were murdered at a dance class in Southport. Amnesty International later analyzed X's algorithms and concluded they had contributed to what the human rights group called a "staggering amplification of hate" in the aftermath.
Kendall outlined two broad approaches. The first involves boosting trusted sources of information—making it easier for people to find reliable reporting during emergencies. The second, more novel idea, is giving users the ability to reset their algorithms entirely. Most people, she suggested, do not realize how much the content they see is shaped by invisible recommendation systems. They should be able to hit a button and start fresh, to break the cycle of algorithmic amplification that feeds them increasingly extreme material.
But progress has been glacial. Chi Onwurah, who chairs the Commons committee, expressed frustration on Thursday. The Online Safety Act, which was supposed to address these problems, remains inadequate and full of regulatory gaps, she said. Most of the committee's recommendations for improvement were rejected. A year has passed since the report was published. The secretary of state called it excellent. Nothing has changed. Ofcom has consulted on the issue and is expected to announce details this month, but the underlying problem persists: the law itself moves too slowly for technology that evolves at digital speed. Kendall acknowledged this directly. Eight years passed between the initial conception of the Online Safety Act and its implementation. That is too long. MPs vote on finance bills every year. Surely, she said, the government can move faster on matters of public safety.
Meanwhile, the legal challenges mount. Labour MP Jess Asato is suing Musk's xAI company over sexually explicit deepfake material created by its Grok AI tool that spread across X earlier this year. Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised her decision on Thursday, saying she was absolutely right to act. Starmer himself had accused Musk of interfering in British politics. Yet Kendall's position is different. She will not cede the platform to those who would use it to spread falsehoods or incite unrest. She will stay, speak, and push for the regulatory tools that might, eventually, make the space safer for everyone else trying to do the same.
Citações Notáveis
I definitely think, particularly during moments of crisis and disorder and when public safety is important, we need to look at what more we can do.— Liz Kendall, technology secretary
The Online Safety Act is woefully inadequate and riddled with regulatory gaps, yet most of our recommendations for improvement were rejected.— Chi Onwurah, Commons committee chair
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Kendall staying on X matter so much? Isn't it just one politician's personal choice?
It's a signal. When senior government figures abandon a platform, they concede it entirely to those who remain—and those with the loudest megaphones. Kendall is saying: we will not surrender the space.
But her posts reach thousands. Musk's reach millions. How is that not a losing battle?
It is, in raw numbers. But she's not arguing she can out-shout him. She's arguing the government needs to change the rules of amplification itself—the algorithms that decide what gets seen.
The crisis response protocols—what would those actually do?
Hold platforms accountable when misinformation spreads during emergencies. Force them to act faster, to label false claims, to stop their own systems from amplifying panic.
And the algorithm reset idea?
It's about giving ordinary people a tool they don't currently have: the ability to break free from the feed that's been built for them, to start over without the accumulated bias of what they've clicked before.
Why has nothing changed in a year if the committee's report was called excellent?
Because the Online Safety Act itself is the bottleneck. Updating it requires legislation, which is slow. Meanwhile, the technology and the harms move faster than Parliament can.