this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2024
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UK Politics

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Elon Musk could be summoned for a grilling by British MPs over X’s role in race riots that have rocked the U.K. over the last week, as well as his own incendiary comments about the violence.

Labour MPs Chi Onwurah and Dawn Butler, who are competing to chair parliament’s science, innovation and technology committee, both told POLITICO they’d press the billionaire X owner and other technology executives to answer questions about the role of social media platforms amid mounting unrest in the U.K.

Musk has spent days beefing with British politicians over the riots, and is locked in a war of words with Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the U.K's handling of them. Musk on Sunday wrote “civil war is inevitable” in the U.K. and claimed that the response by U.K. police has been “one-sided."

...

Musk’s platform X (formerly Twitter) saw misinformation about the identity of the attacker — wrongly identified as an asylum seeker who had just arrived in the U.K. — spread widely in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

The X boss has also come under fire for re-instating the account of high-profile far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who co-founded the English Defense League.

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[–] Flyberius@hexbear.net 40 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Just ban Twitter you fucking cowards

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 24 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Better still tax any UK business for advertising with twitter.

By taxing the advertiser musk can't move the revenue to a different nation. And any competitor gains UK customers.

Can't thin, of a clearer don't fuck with UK democracy hint.

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Or make them responsible for the comments of users when their moderation is sub par. Which it is.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

With the international hosting of social media. Well thats not been possible as they can always be out of your jurisdiction.

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If they do business in the UK, they ca n be fined in the UK. It would also encourage other companies to do the same.

Social media companies have abused the trust placed in them. Now he thinks he's infallible.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

But that is the point. Companies do not need to do business in the UK.

Swift payment systems make it so easy now that the payer can never be entirly sure where their money goes.

This is how so many big corps are avoiding taxation legally now.

[–] hellothere@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Given the idiots who are paying for checkmarks, and VAT collection, twitter has a UK subdivision (Twitter UK), which regardless of size of operation gives UK Gov jurisdiction.

If someone is compelled to speak to the Commons, it's very very rare that they refuse because if you do - and your host country is an ally - you'll have your government on your back too.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Yep. But they can and will close it if the parliament annoys them. And already avoid taxes by claiming money is not received in the UK. Just like facebook, amazon, google etc. This is way the ASA has little ability to control online advertising.

As for foreign citizens called to parliament. You clearly forgot what happened last time when Zuckerberg just refused. Our allies are really only so when it benefits them.

[–] hellothere@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The difference with Zuckerberg is that there was a change in government shortly after. The people who benefited from Facebook's cosy relationship became the government, and Trump was president.

My point is that given different people in charge powers which exist can be used, whether they will or not is of course what we'll find out.

Sanctioning Musk as an individual could get very funny very quickly.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 0 points 3 months ago

It could. But won't. Because as I say. Parliment has zero actual power over him.

You make out Zuckerberg was an odd situation.

But honestly. Name an occasion where the UK parliment has had any power to summon the leaders of a non UK company. Even the US Congress has difficulty unless the company actually wants to be summoned. As we have seen with social media companies sending powerless no bodies to their summons.

This is exactly what musk would do. And no way the US would help enforce it. Par.iment dose not have any extradition treatiesrelated to the right to MPs questions.

[–] Gsus4@mander.xyz 3 points 3 months ago

why not both?

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

That'll move everyone to underground groups and make everything a billion times worse

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Not it won't.

The cunts are emboldened because the visibility makes them think they're larger and more accepted than they are. Drive them back to the hinterlands in scattered groups

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

There's still a censorship element though. The thing is, a large percentage of the British population are tired of the idiotic immigration policies. All the government has done in the past 10 years is make it more difficult for hardworking productive people to move in yet allowing mass illegal immigrants coming from safe countries to come here, barely checked.

Now, don't you dare think I am trying to justify the violence at all. I completely and utterly condemn it. Protest directed towards the government is sensible, violence towards people who were just allowed into the country by said government isn't. Even though it's thuggery, there's still reason fueling it. It's worth remembering that the Reform party came third in vote share.

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Mate, i'm from possibly one of the most casually racist shithead countries in the western world and i still think that's a pretty spurious argument.

Your issue isn't immigration, it's listening to racist shitstirrers. It fuelled the stupidity of brexit and it's fuelling the shit going on right now. You have a scared and unhappy population due to end stage capitalism, murdoch media and years of insane right wing governance causing widespread SLS and now you're full of raging butthurt thats's letting you be led like a bull via a nose ring to that same fetid well of Blame The Other it always fucking goes to.

[–] MrNesser@lemmy.world 32 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Chicken shit musk wouldn't step foot on uk soil if this was a thing.

[–] radicalautonomy@lemmy.world 30 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Head on a pike. Only resolution with which I'll ever be satisfied with all issues Musk.

[–] HowManyNimons@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

He would look pretty good decorating Micklegate Bar.

[–] magnetichuman@fedia.io 29 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I find it ridiculous that MPs, gov agencies, etc still have active twitter accounts at this point.

[–] blindbunny@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If anyone has a Twitter account I deeply judge their morality.

[–] gedhrel@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The killer application for Twitter is leaving a forwarding address to mastodon.

[–] blindbunny@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 months ago

Ha! I did this

[–] apotheotic@beehaw.org 22 points 3 months ago

Good! Because he is absolutely complicit in the rise of hatred

[–] voracitude@lemmy.world 19 points 3 months ago
[–] FelixCress@lemmy.world 14 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 2 points 3 months ago

And over hot coals.

[–] sirico@feddit.uk 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Farage, sitting mere meters away when they return

[–] hellothere@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] sirico@feddit.uk 4 points 3 months ago

When the Greggs fall

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 10 points 3 months ago (4 children)

I'm pretty sure the UK has quite a strong extradition power over the USA. Like all it takes is a British judge to summon someone in the USA for them to be extradited, few questions asked. The USA does have the same power mutually over the UK.

[–] Spiralvortexisalie@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

There is always an extradition hearing if nothing else to ensure it comports with the governing treaty. The US and UK treaty has the usual provisions that it has to be a cognizable crime in America (with Article 2 essentially limiting that to felonies) and can not be political prosecution. Pretty much only militaries can summon someone as you say, and literally only by acting extrajudicially (think black helicopters in the middle of the night making the arrest).

[–] Nasan@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 months ago

I would settle for a couple of cozzers pulling up in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to make the arrest

[–] IcyToes@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Not so much in the case of the killer of Harry Dunn.

[–] EnderMB@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

This case alone has absolutely tarnished the reputation that the US has in the UK in the eyes of many people. It's something people aren't going to forget for a very long time, and could prove a blocker for cases where the US wishes to extradite in the future.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Wasn't there a diplomatic immunity thing at play?

[–] IcyToes@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

They claimed it because she was married to a CIA employee.

Kind of free reign to break the law and kill people if you're a relative of a CIA employee. She could have been trialed without any risk to national security, so it's absolutely a BS excuse.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 2 points 3 months ago

That is kind of mad. I think even staff at an embassy generally don't get immunity, just the diplomats themselves, of which there'd be a small handful even for a large country

[–] o9o@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

Not really. The extradition agreement is extremely one-sided, in favor of the US.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 1 points 3 months ago

You serious? You actually think the US would deport musk against his will. No the only way Musk is coming over to the UK to face questioning is if he chooses to come over of his own accord. Which he probably will do because he'll think it's an opportunity to grandstand.

[–] nickb333@fedia.io 5 points 3 months ago

Is Blackberry Messenger still a thing?

[–] baggins@beehaw.org 4 points 3 months ago

I'd prefer a good old keel hauling.

[–] ComradePlatypus@hexbear.net 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Elon Musk the PayPal founder?

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 4 points 3 months ago

He's done a few things since then but rarely makes the news these days.

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 1 points 3 months ago

Nah, elon musk the false valor purchaser

[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 3 months ago

just stop being cowards and ban twitter access in the uk. period.

but it will never happen because mps are addicted to twitter and refuse to delete their accounts and move to other platforms.

[–] dirtybeerglass@hexbear.net -1 points 3 months ago (2 children)

He would love it.

I don’t know what it’s going to take for them to understand that.

In a perverse way, I hope Musk shows up and reminds them of order of things - that they exist to serve capital and not the other way around .

[–] Saledovil@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I don't get it. Could you explain what you mean by that?

[–] TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee 1 points 3 months ago

it's a Hexbear user, don't think too hard about them

[–] IcyToes@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 months ago

As Don Lemon found out, Elon doesnt like uncomfortable questions. He likes attention though.