Elon Musk ‘accountable to nobody,’ UK tech minister says

Elon Musk is “the one one who is accountable to nobody” and his impression on public discourse shouldn’t be underestimated, the U.Okay.’s know-how minister stated in an interview with the Instances newspaper, including to latest criticisms of the know-how billionaire from senior authorities officers.

Peter Kyle, secretary of science, innovation and know-how, stated that Musk has the ability to affect main world affairs — even the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”

Kyle added that the connection Britain has with firms equivalent to X and different main social media companies, “is way more akin to the negotiations with fellow secretaries of state in different nations, merely due to the dimensions and scope that they’ve.”

His feedback observe controversial remarks from Musk about U.Okay. affairs. The entrepreneur, who owns the X social media web site and is CEO of electrical automobile maker Tesla, on Sunday made a submit on his platform suggesting immigration would result in civil conflict within the U.Okay. amid riots happening throughout the nation.

Kyle will not be the one authorities official levelling criticism at Musk. On Monday, the British Prime Minister’s official spokesperson stated there was “no justification” for feedback like these made by X’s proprietor and government chairman.

In the meantime, U.Okay. courts minister Heidi Alexander on Tuesday stated in response to Musk’s feedback that anybody with a platform on social media ought to “behave responsibly” with that platform and that language associating the riots with civil conflict is “completely unjustified.”

Kyle has held conversations with social media companies together with TikTok, Fb’s father or mother firm Meta, Google and X in relation to the riots, to remind them of their accountability to deal with misinformation on-line.

The U.Okay. final yr handed the On-line Security Act, a landmark regulation that seeks to ramp up enforcement on unlawful and dangerous content material on the web.

Nevertheless, Ofcom, the regulator tasked with imposing the regulation, is unable to take motion in opposition to firms for permitting dangerous posts inciting the continued riots as not all of the powers from the act have come into pressure but.

Ofcom informed CNBC it’s shifting rapidly to implement the act in order that it may be enforced as quickly as attainable, nonetheless, new duties on tech companies requiring them by regulation to actively police their platforms will not totally come into pressure till 2025.

For extra on Kyle’s feedback about Musk, you’ll be able to learn the unique Instances report right here.