By GB News (World News) | Created at 2024-11-27 10:49:48 | Updated at 2024-11-30 03:35:25
2 days ago
British police forces have started to withdraw from X following controversial comments by platform owner Elon Musk.
Musk, who voiced support for a petition demanding fresh UK general election, previously described Britain as a "tyrannical police state".
The billionaire's remarks come after his platform faced criticism for spreading misinformation during the Southport stabbing riots this summer.
Musk, who purchased the social media platform for £34billion in October 2022, previously claimed that civil war in Britain was "inevitable" - resulting in Sir Keir Starmer condemning the Tesla CEO.
His ownership has seen the reinstatement of previously banned accounts, including those of far right activist Tommy Robinson and commentator Katie Hopkins
PA
A Reuters survey of 44 police services and British Transport Police has revealed that others have elected to follow a similar path.
West Midlands Police - one of Britain's largest forces - has dramatically reduced its presence on X, with posts down by approximately 95 per cent compared to the previous year.
Lancashire Constabulary has also significantly decreased its platform engagement, cutting its X usage by around three-quarters year-on-year.
"We understand that, as the digital landscape changes, so too does our audiences channels of choice," Lancashire Constabulary said.
Derbyshire Constabulary - which serves around one million people in the Midlands county - has not made an original post since August 12 and is currently reviewing its social media presence, only responding to direct queries on the platform.
Rival platforms Threads and Bluesky recorded 4.5million and 433,000 British users respectively
REUTERS/PA
Several forces have indicated that while X remains useful for updates like road closures, platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are now more effective for community engagement.
Recent data from digital intelligence platform Similarweb has revealed that X had just over 10million British app users in October - a 19 per cent drop in British users compared to the year before.
In comparison, rival platforms Threads and Bluesky recorded 4.5million and 433,000 British app users respectively.
The Guardian newspaper has also distanced itself from X, citing concerns over Musk's handling of "disturbing content" including "far-right conspiracy theories and racism".
