UK Reviews Social Media Laws Following Far-Right Riots

In response to a week of racist rioting sparked by false material found online, the British government is examining amending the Online Safety Act, which was created to regulate social media corporations.

The government can fine social media corporations up to 10% of their global turnover if they are found to have violated the act, which was enacted in October but is not expected to go into effect until early next year.

Currently, businesses would only be penalized for neglecting to monitor unlawful content, such as calls for violence or hate speech. Companies that permit the spread of “legal but harmful” content, such as misinformation, may face sanctions from Ofcom as a result of the proposed amendments.

The recently elected Labour government in Britain took over the legislation from the Conservatives, who experimented with it for months to try to strike a balance between concerns about safety online and the right to free expression.

More than 2,000 people participated in a poll conducted by YouGov on Friday, and the results showed that two-thirds (66%) of respondents said social media corporations should be held accountable for postings that encourage illegal activity.

Seventy-one per cent of respondents felt social media businesses were not sufficiently controlled, and seventy-one per cent stated they were not doing enough to combat disinformation during the riots.

Minister Nick Thomas Symonds of the Cabinet Office announced on Friday that the government would review the structure of the law. “Some provisions of the Online Safety Act are still in effect. We’re prepared to adjust if needed,” he stated.

Following the riots, London Mayor Sadiq Khan told news sources on Thursday that changes needed to be made to the Online Safety Act. “I believe the government needs to determine its suitability for its intended use right away. I don’t think it’s appropriate,” he said in a publication. Last week, chaos erupted throughout Britain when widely circulated messages on the internet incorrectly named the person suspected of killing three young girls with a knife on July 29 as a Muslim immigrant.

Elon Musk’s social platform X was used to spread false information to millions of followers, including a post implying that civil war was “inevitable” in Britain as protestors engaged in confrontations with police in several towns and cities. According to the spokeswoman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, there was “no justification” for these remarks.