Technology Secretary asks Ofcom for online safety response to summer riots

The Technology Secretary has asked online safety regulator Ofcom for an update on its planned response to the misinformation which spread online and sparked the summer riots across Britain.

The watchdog is currently overseeing the implementation of the Online Safety Act, which, once fully in force, will place new duties on social media platforms to protect users, particularly children, from illegal and potentially harmful content.

In a letter to Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes, Peter Kyle asked for an assessment on how “illegal content, particularly disinformation, spread during the period of disorder; and if there are targeted measures which Ofcom is considering for the next iteration of the illegal harms code of practice in response”.

After three young girls were killed in a stabbing attack in Southport at the end of July, violent disorder erupted across the country, fuelled by misinformation which spread on social media – including the false claim that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK on a small boat.

In the wake of those riots, some have called for a re-evaluation and possible strengthening of the forthcoming online safety rules to place more emphasis on rooting out misinformation.

Mr Kyle said: “In July and August, we saw how online misinformation and incitement fuelled violence and civil unrest across the UK, with violent attacks on temporary accommodation for asylum seekers, mosques, businesses, law enforcement and individuals.

“One of the most alarming aspects of this unrest was how quickly and widely content spread.”

The minister said it is in light of this that he has asked Ofcom for an update on how the disorder has influenced its approach to the new online safety rules, which include a range of codes of practices for platforms in scope of the laws that the regulator is currently drafting.

Last month, the Technology Secretary told the PA news agency the introduction of the Online Safety Act would make safety an “unignorable issue” for social media companies, warning “they can no longer just look the other way or have other priorities”.

And in his letter to Dame Melanie, Mr Kyle said the Government is keen to further support Ofcom with the rollout of the new rules as needed.

“As we have discussed in our recent meetings, it is incredibly important that we get the protections of the Act in place as soon as possible, and I am keen to continue our discussions on how the Government can support Ofcom in delivering on this ambition,” he said.

“Fundamentally, this is about making sure that services take responsibility for ensuring their products are safe for their users.”

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “When Ofcom’s chief executive met the Technology Secretary last week, she told him we had already carried out an evaluation of events following the Southport attack this summer and the actions taken by online platforms in response.

“The Secretary of State has asked for more information on this work, which we will publish in the coming days.”