Social media giants not trusted to fix abuse

SOCIAL media companies are not trusted by the public to deal with the problem of online abuse and hateful content, research suggests.

It found the majority of people support more regulation on tech firms. The study by the anti-abuse campaign group Hope not Hate found 74% of those asked said they did not trust social media companies alone to decide what is extreme content or disinformation on their platforms.

Online abuse remains a key issue with 73% of those asked saying they were worried about the amount of such content on social media.

And there is strong support for tougher regulations compelling tech firms to take action to stop harmful content, with 71% agreeing they should be held legally responsible for the content on their platforms.

The Government’s draft Online Safety Bill – which would require platforms to abide by a duty of care to users, with large financial penalties for those that fail to do so – is due to be scrutinised by MPs and peers this month.