I am sure Elon Moscow is quaking in his everything's computer Tesler Model 3rd Reich.

It's not really about sending a message to Musk, it's about being associated with such a toxic brand, and requiring citizens to use it to get their MPs latest news.

And as such, it should have happened years ago.

Could ditch it?

Nearly the right word but not quite.

With the actions of our government they wish to complain about X and Musk. Without any defence of Musk what makes this government think it is better or less dangerous? And while saying these things it is still unlikely that the government would leave the platform too. Sounds like X is the right place for this government.

There is a world of difference between any government elected for a time-limited period and subject to myriad checks and balances (House of Lords, ECHR, UK Supreme Court) and that twat Musk .

As Tony Benn used to say:

"What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? And how can we get rid of you?"

@MyffyW

"There is a world of difference between any government elected for a time-limited period and subject to myriad checks and balances (House of Lords, ECHR, UK Supreme Court) and that twat Musk."

And yet few elected this government who have taken managed decline of the country to outright aiming for destruction. There may be checks and balances but how well is that going?

This isnt to suggest Musk isnt as you say a 'twat', only that this gov deserves the same disdain

*Note: didnt downvote you. I dont disagree

Oh my Good God, that sound you hear right there... is the sound of the penny finally dropping...straight into the mud.

It's someone else's platform FFS, and they have zero accountability. They can do whatever they like to mute, amplify, distort anything you say, and unleash a shit-storm of moronic public protest if you dare complain, like you've just gone and done, or if they just fancy a laugh.

Why is UK Gov still paying these bastards?

Miliband painted Musk as part of a far-right cabal "who want to take away people's rights, take away people's freedoms."

Why not just classify X as a terrorist organisation and then arrest anyone who supports it, eh Ed? I guess taking away people's rights and freedoms is okay as long as it suits your agenda.

Lol what are you talking about? You're getting angry about something that hasn't happened.

Are you saying the the government HAS to stay on the shitpile that is Twatter? Because of something you invented?

The problem with any exposition that includes the words "Rights & Freedoms" is that it means different things to different people.

Usually it is taken to mean ... What "I" believe and what my "Tribe" supports !!!

In other words, restrict what I do not like and allow what my "tribe" supports !!!

Sound familiar ... like in a well known Superpower on the other side of the "pond" !!!

This is the reason that "Tribes" fight each other ... and while they fight the 'manipulators at the top' line their pockets at everyone’s expense !!!

:)

Indeed. The current "party of free speech" has made the worst attacks on American Free Speech since the country was founded.

Is this about how the Democrats actually forced social media companies to delete posts or even ban people?

Or is this some fever dream about Jimmy Kimmel and Jan 6th?

I'm not sure if people are aware but you can protest about what is going on in Gaza without having to support a certain group.

It seems that the hand-wringing Guardian readers are now more upset about the proscription of that group than the humanitarian crisis going on in Gaza.

I up-voted you, as I assume your post was meant as a sarcastic critique on what they did with "Palestine action".

If it was actually a paranoid right-wing rant, please turn my vote into a downvote.

For once a sensible one, because there's a difference between freedom of speech and incitement..

Instead of posturing, Ed, just instruct your department to stop using X. The department can perfectly well communicate from it's own website.

There's no danger of the above getting done because politics is showbusiness for ugly people and Ed craves the retweets as much as anyone else.

X press relations has gone even further down hill. Now they couldn't even give a U+1F4A9.

When a new media appears, you shouldn't panic and ban it. Get yourself on it and be a 'reliable source of information', broadcasting your spin on everything.

The internet is giving everyone a voice. That is a new media architecture, very empowering for many, very different to what we have had before. The old model only allowed the few to spread propaganda. Now everyone can. Because everything is spun, by everyone. Even in the sciences, there is contention wherever you look. It's actually healthy when scientists disagree.

Running away leaves the proles at the mercy of the malicious. Censoring it makes you a fascist.

Stay and defend your views on the basis of your reputation.

That means you have to have a reputation. Nobody trusts politicians for a reason. 'Private Eye' is full of examples of politicians failing to put their reputations before their greed. If you want to be respected and trusted, now, you need to behave yourselves. What you say will only be trusted if people believe they can trust you.

If anything has driven people into the arms of populists it has been the persistent lying of mainstream politicians, promising the Earth and delivering bugger all. Learn from this. In future, be honest, be transparent, be decent, or be off with you.

"If anything has driven people into the arms of populists it has been the persistent lying of mainstream politicians, promising the Earth and delivering bugger all. Learn from this. In future, be honest, be transparent, be decent, or be off with you."

That would be nice, but any politician hoping to have a mature debate with the British population about what balance of public spending/services and taxation they want would be certifiably insane. The normal way to power in this country is to promise to not-raise or to cut taxes*, at the same time as promising to increase health and benefits spending.

And yet staggeringly, the population somehow manages not to notice that the populists are telling bigger and more lies than the mainstream politicians.

I love your idealism, and everything you say there should be how it is.

Unfortunately, you're very naive. There are numerous stories of X being censored or the algorithm tweaked to suit Musks agenda.

USA-tiktok has just been bought by an American MAGA and Zionist. Why do you think that is?

Facebook may be biased more due to political sucking up than idealism, but it's still happening.

You can probably say the same about many other social-media sites.

The British Government has arrested people for posts on X. Yes, the rest of the world should be interfering there.

I assume you'd be ok with someone posting your name, address, and bullshit about you being a paedophile on X?

Should the Govt be setting up a Bluesky Personal Data Server (PDS) for UK Govt related entities as a means of moving away from X, nudging people towards something better, and doing it once and once properly rather than each council trying to pay for and run their own?

Caveat: I may not completely understand Bluesky yet

Every $GOV, UK or elsewhere, should have its own media system for announcements that is independent of other's controls and which does not piss you off to open an account to simply read stuff, nor whore you from advertiser to advertiser.

So not the shithole that Twitter X has become, nor the increasing cesspool of Facebook.

No because Bluesky is not better. It's just the same shitty people and the same shitty code with a new shitty name.

It isn't even decentralised, that is a lie.

It was even started by Twitter.

No.

But it should for Mastodon (which is those things BlueSky has, vaguely claimed but not done like decentralisation.

The only platform to show me a huge gang of Muslim thugs marching through the streets of Sheffield was X. The only question was whether the police that were running away were actually being redeployed as was messaged later or whether their weren't enough of them to take on the thugs.

.... and you believed it.

Have you heard about AI?

Inciting insurrection should be enough justification.

Then go after Zuck's various properties.

Social media is a bit like a religion.

Very important to a lot of folks, makes a few people at the top very rich and powerful but overall we'd have been better off without it ever being invented