X to give UK users its strongest protections globally

X has agreed to review UK reports of illegal hate and terror content within 24 hours, the strongest such protections it offers anywhere in the world.

Ofcom announced the commitments on Friday (15 May) following months of regulatory engagement. As a backstop, X will assess at least 85% of UK reports through its dedicated reporting tool within 48 hours.

The platform will also withhold UK access to accounts it determines are operated by or on behalf of terrorist organisations proscribed under UK law.

X said it will engage external experts to improve its reporting systems after civil society groups raised concerns that flagged content was not always being received or acted on.

The social media platform will also submit performance data to the regulator on a quarterly basis over 12 months.

Ofcom launched its compliance programme in December to assess whether the largest social media platforms have adequate systems for dealing with illegal hate and terror material.

Recent antisemitic incidents in the UK include the October 2025 attack at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, the April 2026 attack in Golders Green in which two British Jews were stabbed, and arson attempts on Jewish sites in London.

“Following intensive engagement carried out by Ofcom’s online safety team, X have committed to implementing stronger protections for UK users, which we will now monitor closely,” said Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s Online Safety Group Director.

“We have evidence that terrorist content and illegal hate speech is persisting on some of the largest social media sites. We are challenging them to tackle the problem and expect them to take firm action,” he added.

The move has been welcomed across the political spectrum.

“I welcome this action from Ofcom. We have called on the regulator to be bolder in challenging social media platforms to tackle the hate being spread across their network, and this is a good start,” said Danny Stone, Chief Executive of the Antisemitism Policy Trust.

“Tell MAMA welcomes the improved commitments made by X, which represent a significant step forward in tackling hate and extremism online,” said Iman Atta, Director of Tell MAMA, a UK organisation that records anti-Muslim incidents.

Ofcom confirmed that it was still looking at X’s chatbot Grok as part of a separate investigation.

“Our Grok investigation into X remains ongoing, which is looking at the company’s compliance with duties to deal with illegal content, and the systems it has in place to do that,” Griffiths said.

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