In the UK, arrests for social media posts have surged in recent years. High-profile incidents involving inflammatory content have shown how online speech can lead to legal consequences. While freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy, it is not without limits. UK law regulates what can be said online, aiming to curb hate speech, harassment, and incitement to violence. This article explores the evolving legal landscape, recent cases that highlight the risks, and how tools like VPNs can help protect your privacy and security online.
Laws governing online speech
First, let’s have a look at the laws that exist in the UK surrounding online speech:
Malicious Communications Act 1988
This act prohibits sending communications intended to cause distress or anxiety. It covers threats, harassment, and messages sent with malicious intent. Social media posts that fall under this category can lead to prosecution.
Communications Act 2003
Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 makes it a criminal offence to send grossly offensive, indecent, obscene, or menacing messages through a public electronic communications network. This law applies to social media posts, emails, and even texts.
Online Safety Act 2023
The Online Safety Act 2023 aims to make digital platforms accountable for harmful content. It requires social media companies to take swift action against illegal posts and empowers regulators to impose fines. For individuals, it reinforces the need to be cautious about what they post online.
Background of increased arrests over social media posts
There have been a few events in the UK that have led to somewhat of a surge of arrests surrounding social media posts:
2011 riots
The UK first saw a significant crackdown on social media posts during the 2011 riots. Individuals who used platforms like Facebook and Twitter to incite violence or organise looting were arrested and charged. These cases set a precedent for law enforcement’s focus on online activity.
2024 Southport stabbings
In 2024, social media posts following the tragic stabbings in Southport led to multiple arrests. Authorities were particularly vigilant about posts that incited violence or targeted specific communities, highlighting the ongoing scrutiny of online speech.
Most notable arrests
The UK has a couple of notable and very recent social media-related arrests:
Jordan Parlour
In August 2024, Jordan Parlour became one of the most prominent cases of online speech leading to imprisonment. His Facebook posts encouraged violence against a hotel housing asylum seekers, resulting in public disorder and property damage. Parlour was sentenced to 20 months in prison for inciting racial hatred. His case demonstrated how quickly online comments could escalate into legal action.
Tyler Kay
Shortly after Parlour’s arrest, Tyler Kay faced a similar fate. His inflammatory anti-immigration posts on X (better known as Twitter) included threats of arson and violence against immigration solicitors. Kay’s 38-month prison sentence underscored the seriousness with which the UK legal system treats online hate speech.
The importance of online privacy
Online privacy is more than a convenience it is a necessity in a world where digital footprints can have real-world consequences. Social media platforms collect vast amounts of data, including your location, browsing habits, and even private messages. This data can be accessed by authorities, making it crucial to take steps to protect your privacy.
What is a digital footprint?
A digital footprint refers to the trail of data you leave behind when using the internet. It includes everything from your social media activity to your search history and even the devices you use. Active footprints involve content you willingly share, such as posts and comments, while passive footprints include data collected without your explicit input, such as cookies and tracking pixels.
What is a VPN and how does it work?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a tool that encrypts your internet connection, masking your IP address and routing your online activity through secure servers. This makes it difficult for anyone, including your internet service provider (ISP) and government agencies, to track your online behaviour.
When you use a VPN, your data is encrypted during transmission. This ensures that even if someone intercepts your data, they cannot decipher it. A VPN also allows you to appear as though you are browsing from a different location, adding an extra layer of privacy. And with something like Multihop, you can even connect through two different VPN servers, adding even more layers of obfuscation.
How a VPN can help protect you on social media
Using a VPN on social media is a good idea if you care about your privacy. Here are a few ways how a VPN can protect you on the most popular platforms:
Masking your IP address
Your IP address reveals your approximate location and can be used to identify you. By masking your IP address, a VPN makes it harder to trace your online activity back to you.
Encrypting your data
Encryption ensures that your online activity, including social media posts and messages, remains private. Even if your data is intercepted, it cannot be read without the encryption key. It is worth noting this doesn’t mean your social media activity is encrypted, just the connection between you and the platform.
Bypassing censorship
A VPN allows you to access content that may be censored in your region. While this is not directly related to arrests, it can help you stay informed by accessing diverse sources of information.
Enhancing privacy
While a VPN cannot make you completely anonymous, it significantly reduces your digital footprint. By hiding your IP address and encrypting your data, it provides a layer of privacy that can protect you.
Best practices for safe social media use
When using social media it is safe to operate under the assumption that everything you do is being tracked. Nonetheless, here are some best practices for minimising your risks when using social media:
Adjusting privacy settings
Most social media platforms offer privacy settings that allow you to control who can see your posts and interact with you. Regularly review and update these settings to minimise your exposure.
Avoiding sensitive topics
Be cautious about discussing sensitive or controversial topics online. Even if you believe your posts are harmless, they could be interpreted differently by others.
Using pseudonyms
Consider using pseudonyms or aliases for non-professional accounts. This can add a layer of separation between your online activity and your real identity.
Reporting abusive content
If you encounter abusive or harmful content, report it to the platform. Most social media sites have mechanisms in place to address such issues.
Additional ways to enhance online privacy
Your online privacy can also be improved by using some of these handy tools and methods like the ones below:
Use privacy-focussed browsers
Browsers like Vivaldi and Firefox offer enhanced privacy features, such as ad blocking and tracker protection. Using a browser like Google Chrome is simply handing your data over to Google for no good reason. Especially when something like Vivaldi exists which uses the same Chromium engine but with way more features and without the massive data harvesting.
There are also many browsers that build off the Firefox engine such as Waterfox, Floorp, and Zen. All worth checking out.
hide.me VPN’s SmartGuard
If you are looking for a device-wide adblocker, than look no further than hide.me VPN’s SmartGuard. It can be easily enabled from within our app with just a couple clicks and can be customised to your liking. It can block or allow anything you desire, all with an easy-to-use interface.
When it comes to privacy, blocking things like trackers and ads goes a long way to stopping companies from building profiles about you, and SmartGuard makes that easy. Whilst extensions like uBlock Origin are great, they are only going to protect you in your browser. SmartGuard will protect your whole device because it isn’t just your browser that accesses the internet.
Clear cookies and cache
Regularly clearing your cookies and cache can help reduce your digital footprint and prevent tracking.
Enable two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. Even if someone obtains your password, they cannot access your account without the second factor. Check out apps such as Aegis or Ente Auth for your 2FA needs.
Use social media responsibly
Social media has become a cornerstone of the way society interacts with one another, but that doesn’t mean you have to always engage with everything, or at all. If you use social media, you have to go in with the mindset that everything you are doing is being scrutinised. Sometimes it is by other users, maybe the platform itself, or even possibly authorities.
It can be difficult to not engage with the hot-button topic, but it may be best overall. You may even be arguing with a bot, with how prolific these have become over the years. Is it really worth spending your time arguing with something that exists purely to get a rise out of you?
So, use social media responsibly, and take a break every once in a while if you feel you are entering a negative mindset.
Protecting your online presence
Navigating online social media requires a balance between freedom of expression and responsible behaviour. By using social media responsibly and taking proactive steps to protect your privacy, you can enjoy the benefits of online communication without compromising your safety.
FAQ
No, a VPN can enhance your privacy, but it isn’t a magic bullet for protecting you from prosecution for what you post online.
No, using a VPN is legal in the UK. However, that doesn’t mean when using a VPN you can perform illegal activities.
Authorities can track social media activity through IP addresses, account information, and data provided by platforms.
No, a VPN enhances your privacy but does not make you completely anonymous. Other factors, such as your online behaviour, can still reveal your identity.
Yes, some platforms can detect VPN use, but they typically do not block access unless it violates their terms of service.
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