*Originally published in 2024 and preserved as part of our archive project.Get E-International Relations delivered to your inbox, free of charge. As you sign up, consider becoming a paid subscriber to support our work.

The violent rioting in the UK in early August 2024 and the decision by North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) to leave X (Twitter) announced on 16th August 2024 may appear to be totally unconnected events. Yet both reflect widespread concern that social media is actively promoting division and networks based on hate-fuelled violence. As NEAS stated on leaving X: "We feel strongly that the failure to police content on X allows the perpetuation of unacceptable and offensive content, which has seen a sharp rise in hate speech and misinformation that is not consistent with our values” (Mark Cotton, NEAS assistant director of communications and engagement). What NEAS and the riots alike have bought into sharp focus is the lived online realities of vast swathes of the public and the need to fundamentally re-think social media governance.

The UK government has suggested that it may relook at the Online Safety Act in light of the riots – this is vital. Misinformation, hateful rhetoric and the co-ordination of violent disorder on social media were integral to the spreading of the riots. However, the suggestion to extend the Act’s scope – so that social media companies are legally responsible for failures to police the algorithms within their platforms that allow misinformation to flourish – will do little to address the fundamental issues.

Instead, the UK government needs to review the foundations of social media governance – starting from an updated assumption that free speech online needs to be earned and is not an automatic entitlement. Otherwise, reforms centred on targeting misinformation will simply continue to uphold the existing security-centric approach to social media. Historically, the primary focus of government in the UK and elsewhere has been to root out would-be terrorists and protect children (in particular) from illegal, malicious and harmful content online (see also Yar, 2018). The current proposals continue this security-centric approach by placing social media companies as co-conspirators alongside harmful individuals or groups in creating a climate/pathway through which online violence morphs into real world violence via the spreading of........

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