The prominent role of “social media” in organizing the bloody riots in Belfast has fueled debate about better control of platforms such as X, Facebook and TikTok on the island. The responsible regulatory authority Ofcom warned the affected companies to comply with an online security law that recently came into force and which criminalizes calls for violence. Technology Minister Liz Kendall held out the prospect of tightening the legal regulations, of all things on X. Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced “the full force of the law” to the rioters.
