Charity Full Fact has declared a state of “crisis” for digital misinformation in the UK as the group urges swift action to tackle online harms.
In its latest annual report, Full Fact – the independent fact checking organisation – blasted the lack of progress in tackling digital information, despite the introduction of the Online Safety Act this year.
Among the group’s major concerns is the backlash against fact-checking from powerful figures in the US such as Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, who recently declared the company would be moving away from independent fact verification.
The report urged the British government to resist pressures from the US to weaken online safety regulations.
Full Fact called for an expansion of media literacy at Ofcom, clarity from digital platforms about how they can tackle misinformation and a dedicated commitment across the board to verifying information.
“Access to accurate information is not a luxury, it is the foundation of our democracy,” said Full Fact chief executive Chris Morris.
“We cannot let large online platforms which wield so much influence over our daily lives walk away from commitments to make our online world a safer place.
“Government and regulators must hold them to account, to the full extent of the law. This is no time for half measures.”
Morris warned in particular that as the “AI revolution” gathers pace, so too will dangerous misinformation.
Full Fact has previously been critical of UK agencies and regulators for deemphasising the need to tackle misinformation.
The group condemned Ofcom removing the word misinformation from the name of its advisory committee as well as the rebrand of the AI Safety Institute for its shift of focus away from misinformation towards larger national security threats such as bioweapons.
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