A new feature on X, formerly known as Twitter, is raising significant concerns about foreign interference in British political discourse, allowing right-wing influencers based outside the UK to shape domestic conversations.
The Community Tool: A Gateway for Foreign Influence
X's recently launched 'Community' feature, designed to let users create and moderate discussion groups around specific topics, is being exploited by international political actors. Researchers have identified numerous instances where American and other non-UK influencers are establishing communities specifically targeting British political issues.
These foreign-operated communities are actively discussing sensitive UK topics including immigration policy, NHS reforms, and constitutional matters affecting all four nations of the United Kingdom. The feature effectively creates echo chambers where curated content can shape members' views without exposure to countervailing perspectives.
Documented Cases and Political Alignment
Analysis reveals that the majority of these foreign-run communities targeting UK audiences lean strongly to the right politically. American conservative commentators with substantial followings have established dedicated spaces for discussing British affairs, often framing issues through their own ideological lenses rather than UK-specific contexts.
One prominent example includes communities operated by US-based influencers who regularly comment on UK immigration numbers and propose policies that align with their domestic agenda but may not reflect British political realities or consensus.
The timing is particularly sensitive as Britain approaches potential election cycles, making the platform vulnerable to coordinated influence campaigns from abroad. Unlike traditional political advertising, these community discussions operate in a regulatory grey area.
Regulatory Challenges and Platform Responsibility
Current UK legislation struggles to address this new form of digital interference. While laws exist governing foreign spending in British elections, they don't adequately cover the organic-seeming discussion manipulation occurring through features like X Communities.
Digital rights organisations are calling for greater transparency around community moderation and ownership. There are growing demands for X to clearly label when communities discussing UK politics are moderated from outside the country, giving British users context about the perspectives shaping their information environment.
The situation highlights the ongoing challenge facing democratic societies in regulating global social media platforms whose features can be leveraged by international actors to influence domestic political conversations without clear accountability mechanisms.
