Dear John,

This week, the scenes ([link removed]) from Southport once again showcase the destructive power of online disinformation and far-right conspiracy.

A vigil on Tuesday night, held for the three young children brutally murdered at a dance workshop, was interrupted by far-right agitators. They had read online, thanks to the efforts of far-right influencers including Andrew Tate, Laurence Fox, and Tommy Robinson, that the attacker was Muslim, and potentially a small-boat migrant.

It started with a fake news article sharing a made-up name, and spiralled across far-right Twitter. Nigel Farage got involved too, implying in an online video that “the truth is being held from us”. It ended with bricks thrown at a local mosque and a burned out police van.

Impress, the UK’s independent press regulator, called for proper digital regulation in wake of the events: “Impress is calling on politicians, media organisations and community groups to convene and collaborate with urgency to improve public news literacy, journalistic standards and discuss future legislation that can help tackle this ongoing and increasingly threatening problem”

We agree. These events demonstrate how our digital wild west is not only a nuisance but a driver of real-world violence. How can we function as a democratic society and engage in any kind of meaningful debate when many live in these radical, siloed worlds?

In our Functional Democracy Goals report ([link removed]) , we call for a “systems-based approach” to regulating social media, as recommended by disinformation experts (Goal #13). As we concluded in that section of the report:

“The next government has a responsibility to finish what subsequent UK governments have failed to accomplish: a comprehensive, logical, and straightforward framework for regulating social media companies and video sharing platforms. The age of the digital wild west must come to an end, in favour of a digital public square that centres on the needs of the public instead of the whims of Silicon Valley billionaires.”

We know such an approach is possible – the EU has led the way with the Digital Services Act ([link removed]) , which protects users from fraud and disinformation. It’s time to bring British law in line with the real challenges of the 21st century.

As for Farage and his far-right chums, add this to the long list of reasons they shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near 10 Downing Street.

All the best,

The Open Britain Team
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