Bad information ruins lives. But not enough is being done to tackle the harm caused by online misinformation in the upcoming Online Safety Bill.
Our new report, out today, calls for improvements to the Bill, so that it properly addresses harm from misinformation and disinformation and protects freedom of expression.
Too often we’ve seen the government resort to ‘censorship-by-proxy’ tactics through internet companies, without democratic oversight.
Government press releases have boasted that 70 incidents of false information are being ‘resolved’ each week. But both the public and Parliament are kept in the dark about even basic details of what internet companies are being told to act on.
The Online Safety Bill sets out to reduce online harms. To do so it must address misinformation and disinformation effectively. And the methods used must be open and transparent, in order to protect freedom of expression and our democracy.
Our report sets out a ten point plan to improve the Bill, including:
Improving media literacy - Full Fact research shows that one in three adults find it hard to distinguish true information from false information.
Restricting content as a last resort - earlier commitment to share good, reliable information reduces the need to resolve through restricting content - for example, it would have limited the spread of 5G conspiracy theories.
Introducing legal rules to enforce government transparency - Parliament should know when government is pressuring internet companies to remove content.
Glen Tarman - Head of Policy and Advocacy Full Fact
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