Ofcom says X appears to be reviewing reports of suspected illegal hate and terrorist content faster, but the UK regulator is still concerned about whether the platform removes that material effectively. The finding comes from X’s first quarterly report submitted under commitments made after Ofcom engagement in May 2026.
Ofcom’s 14 October 2026 update does not establish a verified overall removal rate. It says the regulator is checking X’s figures against its own tests and will continue examining whether the service is meeting its duties under the Online Safety Act 2023.
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What Ofcom says X improved
After discussions with Ofcom in May 2026, X agreed to monitor two review-time measures for three months using its dedicated UK illegal-content reporting tool:
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall| Commitment | What X’s first report showed | What remains unresolved |
|---|---|---|
| Average review time | Reports were to be reviewed within an average of 24 hours. Ofcom said the first quarterly report appeared to fall within that timeframe. | Ofcom expects the performance to continue and is checking the underlying data. |
| Share reviewed within 48 hours | At least 85% of suspected illegal hate and terror content was to be reviewed within 48 hours. Ofcom said the first report appeared to meet the agreed timeframe. | Meeting a review deadline does not by itself show that content was correctly or permanently removed. |
These figures describe how quickly X reviewed reports, not a regulator-verified success rate for removing illegal material. Ofcom’s statement was explicit that faster review had not settled its concerns about the effectiveness of X’s response.
Why Ofcom remains worried
Ofcom’s 14 October statement said: “While there appear to have been improvements in how quickly X is reviewing this material, we have ongoing concerns around the effectiveness of X’s response to taking down illegal hate and terror content.”
In practical terms, a moderation system can satisfy a response-time target while still failing to identify unlawful content, applying its rules consistently, or completing an effective removal. The update does not publish an independently verified percentage for how many reports resulted in valid removals, nor does it provide a broader success rate that can be applied to all content on X.
Ofcom will scrutinise the data in X’s submission, compare the reported performance with tests conducted by the regulator, and seek additional information. It also expects X to sustain the agreed speed over the full monitoring period rather than deliver a one-quarter improvement.
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The Online Safety Act 2023 gives Ofcom responsibility for preparing illegal-content codes of practice and enforcing the statutory duties that apply to regulated services. A UK government explanatory memorandum published on 17 December 2024 says those codes cover terrorism content, child sexual exploitation and abuse content, and other illegal content, and set out measures services can use to meet their duties.
Ofcom’s policy guidance describes the controls it expects services to have in place, including:
- Risk assessment and mitigation: services must assess the likelihood and potential harm of illegal content and reduce those risks through their design and operations.
- Clear terms and user information: rules should be accessible and explain what content and behaviour are prohibited.
- Swift moderation: systems should be designed to identify and take down illegal terrorist, violence-inciting and hateful content quickly.
- Adequate people and training: moderation teams need sufficient resources, staffing and training for the risks they handle.
- Accessible reporting and complaints: users must have practical ways to report suspected illegal content and challenge or complain about moderation decisions.
- Action against terrorist accounts: services should remove accounts that can reasonably be inferred to be operated by proscribed terrorist organisations.
The duties concern the whole moderation system, not only the time taken to open a report. That is why Ofcom is examining effectiveness, reporting access, risk controls and decision quality alongside X’s timing figures.
What Ofcom is investigating
Ofcom has used formal information-gathering powers to examine X’s processes. The investigation includes X’s illegal-content risk assessment, how easy it is for people to report material, and the decisions made by its moderation systems and staff.
The October update does not announce a final breach finding. If Ofcom considers that it has reasonable grounds to conclude X may not have complied with its Online Safety Act duties, it would issue a provisional view and give X an opportunity to respond. Ofcom would then consider that response before reaching a final decision.
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This process means the current statement is a regulatory warning and progress update, not a completed enforcement ruling. The available figures are also limited to X’s first quarterly submission, while Ofcom continues its checks and awaits further data.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Separate progress on pornography age controls
Ofcom said X changed its access controls so pornography labels are consistently restricted for accounts whose users have not completed age assurance. The remainder of the investigation is focused on illegal-content and complaints or reporting duties, while Ofcom continues monitoring the operation of age checks.
That change is a separate compliance issue from the effectiveness of removing illegal hate and terrorist content. It should not be treated as evidence that X has resolved Ofcom’s concerns about illegal-content moderation.
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- X appears to have met the two monitored review-speed commitments in its first quarterly report: an average review time of 24 hours and at least 85% reviewed within 48 hours.
- Those commitments ran for three months and concern review speed, not a verified final-removal rate.
- Ofcom is testing whether the reported metrics match actual performance and whether decisions lead to effective takedowns.
- The regulator’s concerns extend to reporting tools, risk assessments, moderation decisions, staffing and training, not just response times.
- No final Ofcom decision has been announced in the October 2026 update.
How effectiveness will be judged
Ofcom’s next assessments are likely to distinguish between several parts of the process: whether users can submit a report easily, how quickly X reviews it, whether the decision is accurate, whether illegal content is actually removed, and whether the same material or account reappears. The regulator’s own tests and later submissions will be important because the first report is not an independent measurement of X’s overall removal performance.
Until those checks and the remaining investigation are complete, the defensible conclusion is limited: X has reported faster handling that appears to meet its temporary timing commitments, while Ofcom still has material doubts about whether the platform’s response results in effective removal of illegal hate and terrorist content.
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