British users of the social media platform X reported being blocked from viewing footage of anti-mass migration protests following the activation of the UK’s Online Safety Act on Friday. The legislation, passed under the previous Conservative government, is already facing sharp backlash for allegedly enabling widespread censorship.
The law was originally marketed as a tool to shield children from explicit content online. However, critics long warned it would be used to suppress political speech. On its first day in effect, users attempting to access videos from recent anti-migration demonstrations received a message from X stating: “Due to local laws, we are temporarily restricting access to this content until X estimates your age.”
The restricted footage included scenes from protests sparked by reports of an Ethiopian migrant living in a taxpayer-funded hotel allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Epping. The demonstrations, which at times turned confrontational, were flagged by the platform under violent content policies.
X, owned by Elon Musk, previously said it would estimate user age by using methods like cross-referencing email data with financial or utility records and analyzing users’ social networks. Although aimed at limiting minors’ access to adult content, the tools are now apparently being applied more broadly to political content flagged as violent.
Given the steep penalties for non-compliance—up to £18 million or 10 percent of global revenue—social media companies may over-censor to avoid liability. In response, UK-based Free Speech Union said, “Our fears appear to have been vindicated on the very first day.”
An online petition to repeal the Online Safety Act has already garnered over 160,000 signatures, triggering a required parliamentary review. Meanwhile, searches for VPN services surged by over 700 percent as British users sought to bypass restrictions.
