EXPERT COMMENT
Digital platforms are part of the political infrastructure. Our options are limited when they break.
The spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation on digital platforms has stoked the violence that has affected the UK for the past week. For many in the government (and beyond), at the centre of the blame is X - formerly Twitter - and its owner Elon Musk, who has entered into a personal row with Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the disorder.
UK policymakers say they have warned technology companies ‘not to peddle the harm of those who seek to damage and divide our society.' But as those same policymakers return to the same platforms to publicize those very warnings, and their cabinet colleagues use them to thank local communities and law enforcement, it is increasingly apparent: technologies like X are vital pieces of social, political and cultural infrastructure, and the outsourcing of that infrastructure comes at a high price.
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