Lisa Nandy leaves X and says UK culture department will follow
The UK culture secretary said X favors abuse and misinformation, adding that her department will stop posting on the platform.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has left X and said her department will also stop using the platform, escalating a dispute over online safety and public debate. Nandy accused the site of rewarding abuse and misinformation, a criticism that comes as X faces pressure from UK regulators and ministers.
In a post on Thursday, Nandy said the Department for Culture, Media and Sport would exit X as well, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. She said the platform “isn’t healthy for our democracy or our communities” and argued that it promotes “abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate.”
Nandy had previously raised concerns about online safety and misinformation on X, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. She said she would continue to use Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
The move makes the Department for Culture, Media and Sport the second UK government department to stop using X. The Attorney General’s Office left the platform last month, and the attorney general told members of Parliament that X “constantly descends to racism and misogyny” when defending the decision to bar his office from posting there.
Critics in the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries have accused X owner Elon Musk of weakening safeguards meant to limit misinformation, discrimination and harassment, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. Some critics say that since Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and later renamed it X, the service has amplified extremist material and fostered a “toxic” online culture that encourages division.
Those concerns have led some news organizations, celebrities and groups to stop using the platform, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
Regulatory pressure over safety and AI content
Nandy’s announcement comes while X is under closer scrutiny in the UK and elsewhere over online safety, misinformation and artificial intelligence-generated content.
In January, UK media regulator Ofcom opened an investigation into X over concerns that its Grok AI chatbot was being used to create and share illegal nonconsensual intimate images, including images involving minors, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described some of the images as “disgusting” and “unlawful.” Ministers also said platforms have a duty to protect users from harmful material.
Starmer last month announced a social media ban for children under 16, saying the measure would give young people back their childhood. Musk has repeatedly criticized the UK’s approach to online regulation, saying measures including the Online Safety Act, passed in October 2023, could curb free speech.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.