Members of the House of Commons science and tech committee are understood to have invited evidence from leaders of TikTok and Facebook, as well as from Twitter owner Elon Musk
Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has launched a new inquiry to investigate the relationship between algorithms and the spread of false content online.
The committee will investigate the algorithms used by social media and search engines, as well as generative AI. The aim of the exercise is to understand the technology sector’s business models and whether they encourage the spread of content that can mislead us. The inquiry follows on from the riots that took place across the UK this summer and were believed to be fuelled by the spread of misinformation.
Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, and senior executives of Meta and TikTok have reportedly been called for questioning as part of the inquiry.
Related content
- Tech pros call for rule change to allow media to refute AI-powered misinformation on election day
- Is government’s anti-disinformation unit protecting or persecuting citizens?
- EXCL: Government buys £700k software to monitor death threats against ‘high-profile individuals’ involved in vaccine rollout
Chair of the committee Chi Onwurah said: “The violence we saw on UK streets this summer has shown the dangerous real-world impact of spreading misinformation and disinformation across social media. We shouldn’t accept the spread of false and harmful content as part and parcel of using social media. It’s vital that lessons are learnt, and we ensure it doesn’t fuel riots and violence on our streets again.”
The committee will also look into how effective UK regulation is in fighting harmful content, and those responsible for it.
Following the riots, Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, said the Online Safety Act, introduced to parliament last year to protect children and adults online, was “not fit for purpose” and called for an urgent review of the bill.
The inquiry comes as Ofcom prepares to enforce the laws set out in the bill next year.
A version of this story originally appeared on PublicTechnology sister publication Holyrood