Hannah Cox: Want to muzzle Elon Musk? The UK shows why it's a bad idea
Hannah Cox: Want to muzzle Elon Musk? The UK shows why it's a bad idea
The United Kingdom hasn't quite developed the technology to police thought crimes as its son George Orwell described in 1984, but recent developments indicate they'd be doing that if they could.
In response to weeks of rioting in the country, the government is clamping down on free speech—particularly online—issuing a creepy X (formerly Twitter) warning threatening legal action against people for sharing false things online, the promise of a dedicated police force scouring social media for said wrong speech, and even the arrest of citizens for these speech crimes.
In the process, Elon Musk has come under fire in the British media for his refusal to mimic their government's tyrannical behavior on his platform, X.
The riots began after a mass stabbing occurred on July 29 in Southport, England, resulting in the deaths of three children. False rumors circulated on social media, claiming the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker. This led to the first riot in Southport, which then sparked protests and riots across the country.
Following the outbreak, Musk tweeted that a "civil war" was an inevitability in the country and got into some testy exchanges with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. But while some UK officials labeled Musk's speech as "deeply irresponsible…”
A recent article, published in The Guardian, went so far as to argue that the billionaire should be put on trial for his "role" in the riots.