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U.K. Government Uses Online Safety Act to Remove Social Media Posts
The U.K. government applied the Online Safety Act to remove posts from platforms including TikTok. Officials also used facial recognition at a rally and barred some speakers from entering the county.
May 22, 7:20 AM·1m read1 source
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U.K. government applied the Online Safety Act to remove posts from platforms including TikTok. Officials also used facial recognition at a rally and barred some speakers from entering the county.
The government deployed facial recognition systems at the Unite the Kingdom rally. It also prevented some speakers from entering the county over concerns they might incite the crowd. Under the Online Safety Act, posts were removed from TikTok.
Reform UK shadow home secretary Zia Yusuf had two videos removed, one under the Online Safety Act and one for hate speech. The videos were later restored. The Times reported last year that the government was arresting 30 people a day for speech crimes.
The Metropolitan Police issued an apology to comedian Graham Linehan after he was detained at London Heathrow Airport in September 2025 over social media posts. Met Police Inspector Matt Hume stated that the service provided was not acceptable and recognized the distress caused to Linehan.
Hume said the arrest was lawful but flawed because officers focused on transgender criticism rather than alleged incitement to violence.
Linehan posted on X that the statement did not sound like an apology.
