All of this has unfolded just as the UK's landmark Online Safety Act (OSA) has come into effect - a sweeping piece of legislation, passed through parliament in 2023, aimed at making the internet…
All of this has unfolded just as the UK's landmark Online Safety Act (OSA) has come into effect - a sweeping piece of legislation, passed through parliament in 2023, aimed at making the internet safer.
Since March, the law has been enforced by the industry regulator Ofcom, which now holds power to compel platforms to act against illegal material, like terrorism, child sexual abuse content or hate speech.
Some users on X say age verification measures, which Ofcom has required platforms like X to have in place since July, are being used to squash political speech.
"The argument made in favour of the Online Safety Act is to protect children from seeing material online which they shouldn't see. Obviously I support that," says Ben Habib. "However, the Online Safety Act no doubt is being used as a mechanism by which to patrol for extreme views."
In response to our reporting, Ofcom told Sky News that the OSA does not require platforms to ensure political balance in what is posted on their platforms, and that it is not Ofcom's job to "tell platforms which specific posts or accounts to take down".
Their statement added that "in due course, some of the most widely-used sites and apps, will be subject to additional duties under the Act, including protecting content of democratic importance".
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
The platform's influence on Britain's streets is no longer subtle - it's stark and unmistakable. But finding a fix that satisfies all sides of the debate remains a near-impossible task.
The public is wary of any government attempt to police free speech - online or in the real world, in ways that could threaten democracy. On the other hand, giving social media companies unchecked controls over what appears in users' timelines creates its own tensions.
Experts who monitor extremism online say that, in an ideal world, social media platforms would use politically neutral algorithms to surface content based purely on user interests. Our analysis shows that's not what is happening.
Instead, owners of large platforms like X can influence the algorithm's code, or directly decide what users see to serve their own priorities or increase engagement times by promoting content that will keep people hooked on the platform.
As a result, platforms built as public town squares for self-expression and connecting with others are now more like private property, where the loudest voices belong to those with power, or those with views that align with the views of people who control the algorithm.
Countless reports and academic studies have explored political bias on X, but Sky News' investigation offers unprecedented evidence of how the effects of that imbalance are playing out in the UK.
"These findings confirm what a lot of us feared and suspected from our own feeds, but couldn't prove," said Sir Ed Davey. "It's a major contribution to the debate that I think we have to have."
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Comments
I think its important to balance this with Elon's failures to influence British politics.
He is widely loathed.
The only British political movement to be willing to take his money is the extremist, but also marginal, EDL (the organisation lead by Tommy Robinson).
He offered a huge donation to Reform but this was turned down because he made it a condition of the donation that Tommy Robinson was allowed to join Reform. This leaves him with no party capable of winning even a single seat in parliament being willing to take his money.
I do not doubt that Musk is trying to use X to influence British politics. I do doubt he is having much success.
By afavour 2025-11-0617:01 Surely he can influence British politics, just indirectly. His purchase of Twitter continues to pay dividends, he can tweak the algorithm to emphasize whatever he wants without attaching his name to it directly.
By stevesimmons 2025-11-0613:281 reply And paradoxically, the more he tries to influence British politics, the more people become aware of his efforts, and think more negatively of him.
Plus who in UK would buy a Tesla now? Other than because it was discounted.
Musk is only just the largest shareholder in Tesla, however he is CEO and very strongly associated with the brand so he has damaged the company's image.
On the other hand, people are happily buying Chinese cars without caring about the ethics and politics of China or the companies they buy from, which are even worse.
I disagree that they're even worse. *China* might be a vicious and unethical state in many respects, but you can't directly equate every company in China with the Chinese government. If I buy a BYD car, my money is not going directly into the pockets of white supremacists in the UK and Germany.
By graemep 2025-11-079:46 > I disagree that they're even worse. China might be a vicious and unethical state in many respects, but you can't directly equate every company in China with the Chinese government.
Their taxes go to the Chinese government, buying from them strengthens the Chinese economy (and therefore the government), buying centrally controlled technology from China strengthens China strategically (in the same way buying US cloud services strengthens the US) , Chinese companies are far more under the control of the state, and they have their own ethical problems, such as near slavery: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/what-happens-next-wor...
> If I buy a BYD car, my money is not going directly into the pockets of white supremacists
If you buy a Tesla only some of what you pay is profit. Musk owns 16% of the shares so is entitled to 16% of the profits and his pay as CEO, and the the extremists will get whatever proportion of that he chooses to give them
It is likely to be a tiny proportion of the cost of a car, and certainly far less than the benefit the Chinese government gets from the purchase of a BYD.
> in the UK and Germany.
That would be AfD in Germany. I did not think he had actually donated all that much?
In the UK has he found anyone willing to take his money? Reform turned him down because he made the donation on their letting Tommy Robinson join. That essentially leaves him with the Tommy Robinson and the EDL, Rupert Lowe (an independent MP since he got kicked out of Reform) and a few individuals and even smaller organisations than the EDL (like whatever Ben Habib's new party is called) who might take his money.
The great irony is, come election time, the support for Labour will be stronger to prevent any chance of Reform gaining control of parliament.
By graemep 2025-11-0614:42 Musk does not back Reform as I explained. See this example of what he thinks of Farage:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/elon-musk-nig...
By sippeangelo 2025-11-0612:44 The article is titled "How Elon Musk is boosting the British Right". For "some" reason Sky is self-censoring their title, but not for Twitter, weirdly enough.
<title>HOW ELON MUSK IS BOOSTING THE BRITISH RIGHT</title> <meta name="twitter:title" content="HOW ELON MUSK IS BOOSTING THE BRITISH RIGHT "> <meta property="og:title" content="How the world's richest man is boosting the British right">By beardyw 2025-11-0614:01 Musk is well off target. His recent reference to "hobbits" in the shires being unwary missed the fact that that demographic more or less defines the membership of Reform, and they exhibit a wild fear of foreigners.
