Government must step up and tackle misinformation

Responding to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Report 'Misinformation in the COVID-19 Infodemic', Liberal Democrat spokesperson Daisy Cooper said:

"The pandemic has brought home how fundamental it is that we stamp out dangerous misinformation on social media, and how important it is that the public can trust information online. This report is clear that the Government must do more to tackle misinformation and the Liberal Democrats strongly support its calls for greater transparency.

To tackle the invisible algorithms that drive people to extreme content, platforms must not only have the ability to act quickly but there must be a regulator with teeth to step in when platforms are not doing enough.

The public will not understand however why user generated content now faces strict regulation whilst powerful news corporations are still given free reign.

The Liberal Democrats would like to see the Leveson model of co-regulation introduced for news publishers and online media platforms, to protect the public from online harm, irrespective of whether it's committed by another member of the public or a powerful news corporation."