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UK officials are monitoring societal media posts by Elon Musk and others arsenic a imaginable information risk.
The monitoring is being carried retired by a squad successful the Home Office's Homeland Security group, which is liable for reducing nationalist information risks and, according to a authorities website, "focuses connected the highest harm risks to the homeland".
They are looking astatine the scope of posts and who is engaging with them.
The Home Office declined to comment.
But a root told the BBC said it was being done to marque definite they were connected apical of immoderate challenges were being posed by "non-state actors".
The monitoring of Musk's societal media output, first revealed by the Daily Mirror, is understood to person begun aft helium made comments astir Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.
The US tech billionaire, who renamed Twitter X erstwhile helium bought the company, called Phillips a "rape genocide apologist" and said she should beryllium jailed.
The Labour minister, who ran a home maltreatment refuge earlier becoming an MP and has agelong campaigned to tackle unit against women, told the BBC threats to her had increased arsenic a effect of the post.
The BBC has confirmed that officials successful the Home Office are monitoring the societal media posts of Musk, who is an advisor to US President-elect Donald Trump, on with different accounts that besides person ample numbers of followers.
Over the past week, Musk has been attacking the UK authorities implicit rejecting a caller enquiry into grooming gangs, with the PM insisting victims request "action" not much inquiries.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which lasted 7 years and made 20 recommendations, reported successful 2022 nether the Conservative authorities but nary of the recommendations person yet been implemented.
On Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper acceptable retired enactment she would beryllium taking connected 3 recommendations.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has criticised what helium described "lies and misinformation" astir historical kid enactment maltreatment investigations.
He has besides robustly defended his grounds arsenic Director of Public Prosecutions connected his enactment to tackle kid maltreatment and intersexual exploitation, which included bringing the archetypal prosecution of an "Asian grooming gang" successful Rochdale and prosecuting the highest fig of kid intersexual maltreatment cases connected record.
Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe, who has been praised by Musk, has asked the Home Office for the outgo of the reported probe to taxpayers by the counter-extremism unit.
He said: "I person asked the Home Office however galore of Musk's posts person been investigated, for what reason, by however galore officers and astatine what outgo to the taxpayer.
"They volition spy connected Musk's online activity, but nary enquiry into thousands of overseas rapists. Pathetic."
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