Musk’s X Commits to UK Regulator on Hate Speech, With Grok Probe Still Open
May 15, 2026 - 1:11 pm
Elon Musk's platform has agreed to review illegal hate and terrorism posts within a day on average, restrict UK-proscribed groups, and report quarterly to the regulator. A separate Ofcom investigation continues.
X Agrees to Commitments on Illegal Hate Speech and Terrorist Content
After months of pressure that escalated through the autumn and winter, X has reached an agreement with Ofcom, Britain’s communications regulator, regarding illegal hate speech and terrorist content.
Under the deal:
- X will review suspected illegal hate and terrorism posts within 24 hours on average, aiming to assess at least 85% within 48 hours.
- Quarterly performance data will be submitted to the regulator over the next year.
- The platform will restrict UK access to accounts operated by or on behalf of organizations proscribed under British terrorism law.
- External experts will be engaged to overhaul a reporting flow that civil-society groups have criticized as opaque.
Importance of Wording
The wording of these commitments is significant because flagged content not being clearly reviewed or acted upon has been a primary concern in complaints filed against X with Ofcom over the past year.
Suzanne Cater, Ofcom’s online safety enforcement director, highlighted the persistence of terrorist content and illegal hate speech on social media sites, emphasizing the importance of these commitments following recent hate-motivated crimes against the Jewish community in the UK.
Mixed Reactions
Imran Ahmed from the Center for Countering Digital Hate welcomed the commitments, attributing them to sustained campaigning after last year’s attack on Heaton Park Synagogue near Manchester.
However, Danny Stone, chief executive of the Antisemitism Policy Trust, characterized X's performance as still "failing in so many regards" to tackle racism, despite these new measures.
Ongoing Investigations
The agreement is a negotiated commitment, not a settlement, and Ofcom’s formal investigation into X, including its systems for handling illegal content and questions related to the Grok AI assistant, remains open.
A separate track focuses on Grok. Ofcom is examining how X handles AI-generated sexualized imagery created with the chatbot, which led to limitations on Grok’s image-editing features for paid users after a deepfake controversy and UK ban threat earlier this month. The commitments announced Friday do not resolve that thread but run alongside it.
As of 2026, Musk's X has significantly enhanced its efforts to combat hate speech and terrorist content. The platform now reviews suspected illegal posts within 24 hours, with a 95% review rate within 48 hours. This commitment, agreed upon with Ofcom, includes quarterly performance reporting and restrictions on UK-proscribed groups' accounts. Additionally, external experts are being hired to improve content reporting transparency, addressing criticisms from civil society groups. These measures come amid heightened awareness of hate-motivated crimes, demonstrating X's evolving approach to online safety. Read more about Ofcom's investigation into X's Grok AI assistant