Britain's tech minister says Elon Musk is "accountable to no one" after X owner's comments on UK riots.

• In an interview with the Times, Peter Kyle, secretary of science, innovation and technology, stated that Musk is "an individual who is answerable to no one."
• The remarks of Musk, who on Sunday linked riots in the U.K. to "civil war," have been criticized by officials from the U.K. government, adding to the existing criticism of Musk.
• Kyle has communicated with social media companies such as TikTok, Meta (Facebook's parent company), Google, and X about their obligation to combat misinformation online.

The U.K.'s technology minister stated in an interview with the Times newspaper that Elon Musk, who is "the one person who is accountable to no one," has a significant impact on public discourse and should not be underestimated, adding to recent criticisms of the technology billionaire from senior government officials.

The secretary of science, innovation and technology, Peter Kyle, stated that Musk possesses the ability to impact significant global events, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Britain's relationship with companies like X and other major social media firms is similar to negotiations with fellow secretaries of state in other countries due to their scale and scope.

The CEO of electric vehicle maker and owner of X social media site made a controversial post on his platform on Sunday, suggesting that immigration would lead to civil war in the U.K. amid riots occurring across the country.

The British Prime Minister's official spokesperson also criticized X's owner and executive chairman on Monday, stating that there was "no justification" for their comments.

Heidi Alexander, the U.K. courts minister, on Tuesday responded to Musk's comments by stating that anyone using a social media platform should act responsibly and that linking the riots to civil war is completely unjustified.

Kyle has communicated with social media companies such as TikTok, Facebook's parent company, Google, and X about their responsibility to combat misinformation online in relation to the riots.

The Online Safety Act, a landmark law aimed at intensifying the enforcement of illegal and harmful content on the internet, was passed by the U.K. last year.

The law's regulator, Ofcom, cannot enforce against companies that allow harmful posts inciting riots because not all the law's powers have been activated yet.

While Ofcom is swiftly implementing the act, the new duties on tech companies that legally require them to actively monitor their platforms won't be fully enforced until 2025.

The Times report contains Kyle's comments about Musk.