Elon Musk Announces Fix for ‘Local Laws’ Bug in X Project – Updates Awaited

In the United Kingdom, the implementation of age-verification laws for online adult content has presented complications for users of social media platform X. Users are encountering a notification on content with adult themes stating, “Due to local laws, we are temporarily restricting access to this content until X estimates your age.”

Unlike platforms such as Bluesky, Discord, and Reddit, X has yet to introduce a widely accessible system for UK users to submit evidence confirming their age. Instead, the platform is relying on estimations based on various data points, which has resulted in some users finding their feeds display a disclaimer stating that X is unable to verify their age.

Elon Musk, owner of X, has confirmed that the company is working diligently to address this issue. In response to a user’s concern about the lack of a current method for age verification, Musk responded, “We are working on this.” At the time of publication, X has yet to publicly comment on the matter.

X’s European Age Assurance policy outlines that it will now estimate a user’s age based on various factors. For example, if a user has previously stated they are under 18, their account will be limited. If an account was created before 2012, adult access will be granted. Similarly, those who were previously verified under the legacy system or hold a Verified Organization account will also have unrestricted access.

For users subscribed to X Premium, a manual ID verification process is available, but this feature is not accessible to non-subscribers. According to X’s Age Assurance policy, a manual verification feature is set to be rolled out at a later date. Under the section titled “User involved verification options,” it is stated that X plans to offer users two secure and privacy-respecting options for verification: facial age estimation from a live selfie, and ID verification using a government-issued ID.

The rapid introduction of this system may be X’s strategy to ensure users can swiftly regain full access to their accounts. One user, posting on Reddit, shared that they publish adult content and are now unable to utilize many of their account’s features due to the inability to view NSFW posts.

Other users have reported that their bookmarks are no longer accessible, although those who were able to manipulate their location found that their bookmarks returned when outside restrictions. On July 25, users discovered they could change their location in X’s settings to access adult content. However, on July 26, many found that option had stopped functioning, and now the only means of accessing content is through the use of a VPN as a workaround.

Musk has expressed criticism towards the UK’s Online Safety Act, posting on X that he believes its “purpose is suppression of the people.”

Social media networks are restricting access to adult content in an effort to avoid substantial fines. The UK law will be enforced by government body Ofcom, which intends to impose fines equivalent to either £18 million or 10% of a company’s worldwide income.

Age-verification has also posed challenges for other social media services. Despite Discord having a system in place to gauge a user’s age, it has so far proven easy to bypass. One user found they were able to trick the tool using the main character from Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and the game’s photo mode. During the verification process, the user was able to open their mouth with the player character, which the system interpreted as a real person.