The UK government has declared it is prepared to ban the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, amid an escalating dispute over the site's alleged facilitation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material and misogynistic deepfakes. Business Secretary Peter Kyle stated today that blocking access to the platform is a serious option under consideration.
Minister Confirms Ban is a Live Option
Pressed on whether Britain would impose a ban if the ongoing regulatory investigation deemed it necessary to protect children, Peter Kyle gave a clear response. "Yes, of course," the Business Secretary affirmed. He emphasised that communications regulator Ofcom must use its enforcement powers "to the full extent of the law to keep people safe in this country."
The crisis centres on X's AI chatbot, Grok, and its image manipulation capabilities. The virtual assistant was found to be aiding users in digitally removing clothes from photographs of children and women, creating synthetic sexualised imagery. While owner Elon Musk has taken limited steps—such as restricting the picture-editing feature to paying subscribers—the UK government and regulator have deemed the response insufficient.
International Row Erupts Over Free Speech
The situation has triggered a significant international diplomatic spat. Musk has accused the UK of adopting "fascist" tactics by considering a platform block. This viewpoint found support from figures associated with the former Trump administration in the United States over the weekend.
Sarah Rogers, described as a free-speech tsar for the US State Department, provocatively likened the UK's potential actions to those of Putin's Russia. In a post on X, she sarcastically suggested Great Britain was "contemplating a Russia-style X ban to protect them from bikini images." She further criticised the UK by raising unrelated issues, attempting to draw a comparison with cousin marriage laws.
Regulatory Probe and Political Backing
Ofcom is currently conducting what it terms an "expedited assessment" of X and its parent company xAI's handling of the Grok chatbot scandal. The probe focuses specifically on the tool's manipulation of images to generate undressed individuals and sexualised depictions of children.
The UK government has signalled its full support for the regulator. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall stated yesterday that ministers would stand by Ofcom if it decided to block access to X. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also indicated he is keeping "all options" available to address the serious threats identified.
This confrontation marks one of the most significant tests of the UK's new online safety framework, placing the government on a direct collision course with one of the world's most prominent tech billionaires over the boundaries of AI innovation, free speech, and the imperative to protect vulnerable individuals from digital harm.
