Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, is pushing for the social media platform, X, to be censored.
He is also pushing for further measures around VPNs to ensure that there are no loopholes to viewing X.
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) creates a secure, encrypted “tunnel” between your device and a remote server, hiding your IP address and protecting your online activity from snoops like hackers, ISPs, and advertisers. It makes your internet connection private and safe, especially on public Wi-Fi, and allows you to bypass geo-restrictions and censorship by making it appear as if you’re browsing from the server’s location.
The Government has indicated it could ban X under the UK’s online safety laws following reports that the platform’s Grok AI tool generated indecent images of women and children. Ofcom is investigating, and ministers have said they will support the regulator if it decides to proceed with a ban.
However, the Government is not targeting all platforms that produce images in a similar manner, with measures across other platforms.
Rupert Lowe, of Restore Britain, has said that he will pursue legal action against the Government if they pursue a ban.
Donald Trump has also indicated that sanctions would be applied on the UK if X there was interruption in X being available in the UK.
Speaking in Parliament, Tom pressed ministers on how they would prevent users from bypassing potential restrictions through VPNs and other workarounds. In his opinion, he said that any ban must be comprehensive and close loopholes to stop harmful content from continuing to circulate
Tom Gordon said:
X has shown a blatant disregard for safety, repeatedly putting users at serious risk. Ofcom is right to consider banning the platform, but with any ban must come enforceability.
The Government needs a clear plan to make any ban watertight. That means closing loopholes, stopping VPN workarounds, and ensuring harmful content cannot simply resurface elsewhere.
I’m pushing for the Government to set out concrete steps and give Ofcom the tools it needs to enforce the rules effectively. This is about solving the problem, not shifting it.
