Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Misinformation and Disinformation Online.

Thursday 10 December 2020 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government established a counter-disinformation unit to monitor misinformation during the pandemic.
  • Government is developing comprehensive legislation on online harms in collaboration with civil society and tech platforms.
  • Social media companies should be contacted to report harmful anti-vaccination propaganda and misinformation.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Gavin Newlands SNP
Democracy & Elections
Context

Online misinformation has been a growing issue, especially harmful during the pandemic. It affects public health decisions such as vaccine hesitancy.

Question

What recent steps have you taken to tackle the proliferation of (a) misinformation and (b) disinformation online? Online misinformation is a great harm to us all. It can make people refuse life-saving medicines, it can make people believe that the so-called leader of the free world has been cheated out of an election, and in the last 16 days of action on gender-based violence against women and girls, 52% of young women and girls have been abused online and 87% think the problem is getting worse.

Answer from Caroline Dinenage

The Government take this issue seriously. We established a counter-disinformation unit to monitor misinformation during the pandemic and work closely with social media platforms to remove false claims about the virus. A comprehensive piece of legislation is being developed, working with civil society and tech companies. The online harms response will be published very shortly, and we plan to bring forward the legislation early next year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific timeline for when the online harms Bill will be introduced.

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Q2 Gavin Newlands SNP
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

Young women and girls are increasingly affected by online abuse, with 52% reporting abuse and 87% believing the problem is getting worse.

Question

When will we finally see the online harms Bill, given that social media and tech companies are doing nowhere near enough to protect individuals and society at large?

Answer from Caroline Dinenage

The Government know that misinformation is harmful but legal. We are developing comprehensive legislation, working closely with civil society and tech platforms. The online harms response will be published very shortly, and we plan to bring forward the legislation early next year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific timeline for introducing the Bill.

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Q3 Stephen Doughty Labour (Co-op) Cardiff South and Penarth
NHS Democracy & Elections
Context

The MP shares information about vaccines with constituents but is worried by anti-vax propaganda online. Social media companies have a poor track record of removing harmful content.

Question

What advice do you give to my constituents when they see this information online? Should they report it to the social media companies or is there some way of feeding into the disinformation unit?

Answer from Caroline Dinenage

Anti-vaccination propaganda can be harmful and deter people from getting life-saving vaccines. It is important to bring such content to the attention of social media companies. Last month, my colleague met the social media companies which agreed to reduce harmful narratives around the potential covid-19 vaccine.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific advice for constituents on how to deal with anti-vaccine misinformation.

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