British MPS seek regulation of social media to fight ‘fake news’
LONDON: Calling the proliferation of ‘fake news’ a crisis for democracy, an influential committee of British parliamentarians wants regulators to “build resilience against misinformation and disinformation” to protect the integrity of institutions.
Following an 18-month investigation into fake news, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee is set to publish its report on Sunday, but it was leaked on Saturday, with its contents widely published. The report adds to growing demands for tougher regulation of social media companies.
The committee’s investigation looked into the issues and events related to the Cambridge Analytica (CA) data theft controversy, including in India, among others. It took evidence from key individuals, including whistle-blower Christopher Wylie, and former CA chief executive Alexander Nix.
Calling it one of the many potential threats to democracy, the report described fake news as “created for profit or other gain, disseminated through statesponsored programmes, or spread through the deliberate distortion of facts, by groups with a particular agenda, including the desire to affect political elections.”
“Such has been the impact of this agenda, the focus of our inquiry moved from understanding the phenomenon of ‘fake news’, distributed largely through social media, to issues concerning the very future of democracy”.
Highlighting significant concerns about political manipulation, the committee chaired by Conservative MP Damien Collins said: “Our democracy is at risk, and now is the time to act, to protect our shared values and the integrity of our democratic institutions”.
Witnesses informed the committee that India was one of the countries where CA and its affiliated company, Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) had worked in political campaigns.
“The work of SCL and its associates in foreign countries involved unethical and dangerous work, and we have heard worrying accounts of SCL employees being put in grave danger,” the report said.