The government has been accused of “leaving the public exposed” to a misinformation crisis by rejecting the recommendations of a select committee.
Full Fact, a prominent independent fact checking charity, has criticised the government’s response to the recommendations of how to tackle the troubling issue of online misinformation published by the Science, Technology, and Innovation Committee.
The report was put together following violent far-right anti-immigration riots that broke out across the country in the summer of 2024, with social media algorithms thought to be a major factor in stoking the flame of public opinion by platforming misinformation.
The select committee’s report included a number of recommendations including extending Ofcom’s powers to regulate digital misinformation, enforcing stricter requirements on social media firms to de-platform confirmed misinformation and produce new legislation covering generative AI platforms.
The recommendations have been largely rejected by the government, which has argued that the Online Safety Act already sufficiently covers the worst examples of misinformation – which it specifies as those that impact children – and that it must be careful in not damaging freedom of expression.
This response has spurred outrage from Full Fact, which has warned that without swift action, the well-documented issue will only get worse.
“By rejecting the SIT Committee’s recommendations on AI-generated content and the Online Safety Act, the government is leaving the public exposed to fast-moving false, harmful, and misleading information online. This is a missed opportunity to strengthen our defences which currently fail to address all but a fraction of the problem,” said Azzurra Moores, policy lead at Full Fact.
“Without better legal standing for misinformation and tangible, government-led action to ensure platforms step up to the threat and that Ofcom is fit for its duties, the public remains staggeringly vulnerable to future information crises that begin online but spill out into the streets.”
Moores described the government response as “business-as-usual” and at risk of “putting them on the wrong side of history”.
Read more: Online Safety Act unable to punish social media firms over UK riot posts
