PAPER: Musk tweets probed by UK counter-extremism unit, sparking free-speech concerns
A British unit tasked with tracking online extremism is investigating tweets made by Elon Musk, the chief executive of electric car maker Tesla, according to a report published by The Daily Telegraph.
The unit, called the Online Hate and Extremism Unit (OHEU), is reviewing Musk’s comments on Twitter due to concerns over their potential promotion of “hatred” or “extreme views”, said the report, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.
One of the specific tweets under investigation is a May 2021 post in which Musk expressed solidarity with the Freedom Convoy protest in Canada, which was held in opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
The OHEU’s involvement in investigating Musk’s tweets has sparked concerns among free-speech advocates, who argue that such actions could represent a slippery slope towards censorship and government overreach.
“Is the UK trying to create a new kind of ‘thoughtcrime’ where disagreeing with woke ideology gets you in trouble with the authorities?” tweeted Matt Ridley, a UK-based journalist and author.
UK authorities have historically taken a proactive approach to online extremism, which has led to the removal of numerous social media accounts and hashtags deemed to be promoting hate or extremist views.