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Elon Musk will be summoned by MPs to testify about the role of his social media platform X in spreading disinformation during the riots which rocked England and Northern Ireland over the summer.
The questioning will come as part of a Commons science and technology select committee, where senior executives from Meta – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram – as well as from TikTok are also expected to be called for questioning.
The first evidence sessions are expected to take place in the new year.
According to the Guardian, MPs will probe the consequences of generative AI, which was used to create images shared to social media inciting people to join join Islamophobic protests in the wake of the killing of three schoolgirls in Southport in August.
Chi Onwurah, the Labour MP who chairs the select committee, said Mr Musk has “very strong views on multiple aspects of this”.
“I would certainly like the opportunity to cross-examine him to see … how he reconciles his promotion of freedom of expression with his promotion of pure disinformation”, she said.
Noting the tech billionaire’s lack of invitation to an international summit organised by the UK government in September, Ms Onwurah added: “I’d like to make up for that by inviting him to attend.”
Mr Musk – who has recently been appointed by president-elect Donald Trump to lead the US Department of Government Efficiency – found himself in a row with ministers over the summer after being highly critical of the government.
He repeatedly argued that “two-tier policing” existed in the UK and attacked the government for what he claimed was a crackdown on freedom of speech during the violent disorder which led to more than 1,000 arrests.
Mr Musk was dubbed “deeply irresponsible” by ministers for his remarks, while Downing Street said there was no justification for his claim that “civil war is inevitable” in Britain.
It comes amid growing concern that technology is outpacing regulation and safety measures on social media platforms.
Technology secretary Peter Kyle has ordered new research into social media to weigh up whether to introduce a ban for under-16s, following legislation introduced by the Australian government.
The Safer Phones Bill, which will be debated in March, was proposed by Labour MP Josh MacAlister and includes a mechanism for banning social media for under 16s.
Mr Kyle is also expected to call on Ofcom to report back to him on its progress with the Online Safety Act – new legislation being finalised by the regulator that will come into force in the spring and will put more responsibility on tech companies to protect children online and remove illegal content.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday, he said he plans to “do what it takes to keep people, particularly children and people with vulnerabilities, safe online.”
“The overall philosophy I’m trying to move towards is one where safety is baked in from the outset. So in other words, algorithms are there to protect people, not to exploit vulnerabilities”, the technology secretary said.
Mr Musk has faced criticism for his management of X, partly as a result of a decrease in content moderation on the site, causing many users to leave the platform for competitor BlueSky.
The number of users on the fledgling site has surged in recent weeks, with the official Bluesky account announcing earlier this week that the platform had passed 19 million users.
Several MPs have joined the platform, with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Treasury minister Darren Jones and local government minister Jim McMahon among those setting up accounts.
However, the prime minister said he has no plans to join the platform.
Elon Musk has been contacted for comment.
