Social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms

Between 30 July and 7 August 2024, a wave of anti-immigration demonstrations and riots took place across the UK. Some targeted mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, driven in part by false claims that spread on social media platforms relating to the killing of three children in Southport. Ofcom, the regulator, has said that illegal … Show more

Between 30 July and 7 August 2024, a wave of anti-immigration demonstrations and riots took place across the UK. Some targeted mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, driven in part by false claims that spread on social media platforms relating to the killing of three children in Southport. Ofcom, the regulator, has said that illegal content and disinformation spread "widely and quickly" online following the attack, and that the riots demonstrated the role that “algorithmic recommendations” can play in driving divisive narratives in a crisis period. It said the response by social media companies to this content had been “uneven”. The Online Safety Act 2023 tightens the law on disinformation and gives providers new duties to reduce the risk that their services are used for illegal activity, and to take down illegal content. The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is launching an inquiry into the links between algorithms used by social media and search engines to rank content, generative AI, and the spread of harmful or false content online. The inquiry will examine the effectiveness of current and proposed regulation for these technologies, including the Online Safety Act, and what further measures might be needed. It will investigate the role of these technologies in driving social harms, with a particular focus on their role in the summer 2024 riots. Read the call for evidence here: Show less