Tuesday, August 06, 2024
The role of social media
They point out that last week’s headlines provide a pointed example of how quickly platforms can be used to spread disinformation:
As families mourned the death of three young girls killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, riots broke out stoked by disinformation about the suspect’s identity.
On Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer warned social media companies after false information spread online. And Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said social media has put “rocket boosters” under far-right groups when it comes to the “organisation, the attention and the misinformation” surrounding the riots.
She said there would be a “reckoning” following unrest across England, pledging that anyone involved in the riots will “pay the price”.
Pressed on whether the Government will take action against Tommy Robinson, who has been accused of stoking tensions from afar, Ms Cooper said: “If it’s a crime offline, it’s a crime online.”
Elsewhere last week, an Olympic women’s boxing match — and misinformation about one of the athletes involved — was used by conservatives to promote their anti-trans agenda.
And in July two images of an injured female police officer were shared widely on social media with false claims that they showed injuries sustained during an incident at Manchester Airport.
As the paper says government ministers seem determined to prosecute those who have incited these riots online, but more is called for. There needs to be serious penalties for the owners if they continue to allow their platforms to promote illegality in this way.
