US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah B. Rogers said “nothing is off the table” if the British government follows through on a threat to ban Elon Musk’s X platform over concerns about the spread of AI-generated sexualized “deepfake” content.
– I would say that from the American perspective nothing is excluded when it comes to freedom of speech – said Rogers in an interview with GB News, Politico reports.
– Let’s wait and see what Ofcom will do, then we’ll see what America will do in response – she added.
Rogers, who was appointed by Donald Trump, has repeatedly criticized European efforts to crack down on hate speech. She was also involved in the State Department’s decision last month to sanction former European Commissioner Thierry Breton and four other European officials for their activities in the fight against the spread of disinformation.
At least one lawmaker close to Trump also spoke out in favor of Musk’s platform. US Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, announced last week that she is preparing legislation that would sanction the United Kingdom if it bans X.
In an interview with GB News, Rogers accused the British government of wanting “the ability to regulate public space, to suppress political views it doesn’t like.”
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday denied the case was about freedom of expression, insisting the UK “has protected free speech for hundreds of years and will continue to do so”.
Ofcom, the UK’s online safety regulator, is currently investigating whether X met its obligations under the Online Safety Act by allowing its Grok AI chatbot to create and distribute non-consensual intimate photos, including potential child sexual abuse material.
British technology minister Liz Kendall told the House of Commons that Ofcom has the government’s support to use all its powers, including financial penalties of up to £18 million or ten percent of a company’s global revenue, and in the most serious cases seeking a court order to block X in the UK.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
