UK government could summon Elon Musk for ongoing social media inquiry

A UK government social media inquiry is expected to summon Elon Musk to testify about X’s role in spreading disinformation, according to a report.

The Guardian states senior executives from Meta and TikTok are also expected to be called for questioning as part of a Science, Innovation and Technology select committee social media inquiry.

The inquiry officially opened on November 20 and will investigate the relationship between algorithms used by social media and search engines, generative AI, and the spread of harmful and false content online.

We've launched a new inquiry into #SocialMedia, #misinformation, and the role of #algorithms.

— Science, Innovation and Technology Committee (@CommonsSITC) November 20, 2024

The Committee says this follows a “wave of anti-immigration demonstrations and riots in July and August 2024, with some protests targeting mosques or hotels housing asylum seekers.

“These are believed to have been partially driven by false claims spread on social media platforms about the killing of three children in Southport.”

It is the first inquiry of the newly appointed Commons Committee and they will look at the effectiveness of current and proposed regulation for these technologies including the UK Online Safety Act. They will look to see what further measures might be needed.

The Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee Chi Onwurah MP, said: “The violence we saw on UK streets this summer has shown the dangerous real-world impact of spreading misinformation and disinformation across social media.

“We shouldn’t accept the spread of false and harmful content as part and parcel of using social media. It’s vital that lessons are learned, and we ensure it doesn’t fuel riots and violence on our streets again.”

The first hearings will take place in the new year, with written submissions already available to be submitted with a mid-December deadline by members of the public.

Onwurah describes this as being an “important opportunity to investigate to what extent social media companies and search engines encourage the spread of harmful and false content online.”

The UK government’s social media inquiry will take into account how companies use algorithms to rank content, and whether business models encourage the spread of content that can mislead and harm.

Featured image: AI-generated via Ideogram

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