X has agreed to move more quickly on UK reports of suspected illegal hate speech and terrorist material, after Ofcom accepted a set of commitments from the Elon Musk-owned platform.
The regulator said X will aim to review reports submitted through its illegal content reporting tool within an average of 24 hours. The company has also pledged to assess at least 85% of relevant reports within 48 hours, giving Ofcom a clearer way to measure whether the platform is acting promptly when potentially illegal material is flagged.
The agreement comes as Ofcom increases scrutiny of major online platforms under the UK’s Online Safety Act. The law requires technology companies to take stronger steps against illegal content, including terrorism-related material and unlawful hate speech.
Ofcom launched a compliance programme in December to assess whether large platforms have effective systems for receiving, reviewing, and responding to these reports.
Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s online safety director, described the commitments as a “step forward” and said they were especially significant following recent religiously motivated crimes targeting Jewish communities in Britain.
The regulator said it had seen evidence that terrorist material and illegal hate speech was “persisting on some of the largest social media sites.” It said platforms must be able to show that reports are being handled properly, rather than leaving users and organisations uncertain about whether action has been taken.
As part of the arrangement, X will submit performance data to Ofcom every three months for a year. The company has also agreed to consult experts on improving its reporting systems, after some organisations raised concerns that they had reported “multiple pieces” of suspected illegal hate and terrorist content without clear confirmation that their complaints had been received or reviewed.
X has further committed to restricting UK access to accounts reported for posting illegal terrorist content if it finds they are operated by, or on behalf of, a terrorist organisation proscribed in the UK.
Danny Stone, chief executive of the Antisemitism Policy Trust, said the action was a “good start” but warned that more progress was needed.
“X is failing in so many regards to tackle open racism on its platform,” he said. “We know where this online harm leads, and so for the sake and safety of all of us in Britain, I hope Ofcom will hold X to account for what it has promised the regulator it will do.”
Iman Atta, director of Tell Mama, welcomed the revised targets and said they signalled “a more accountable approach.”
“This sends an important message that no platform or body operating in this country is above scrutiny,” she said, adding that the real test was “not what is promised, but what is delivered.”
Ofcom said a separate investigation into X’s AI tool Grok is still under way.