Social media algorithms need overhaul in wake of Southport riots, Ofcom says

Misinformation about the Southport killings proliferated despite tech firms and social media platforms’ “uneven” attempts to stop it, wrote the Ofcom chief executive, Melanie Dawes, in a letter to the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, Peter Kyle.

“Posts about the Southport incident and subsequent events from high-profile accounts reached millions of users, demonstrating the role that virality and algorithmic recommendations can play in driving divisive narratives in a crisis period,” Dawes wrote.

Some platforms told Ofcom that misinformation seeking to whip up hatred appeared online “almost immediately” after the attacks, with the result that platforms were “dealing with high volumes, reaching the tens of thousands of posts in some cases”, some of which came from accounts with more than 100,000 followers.

Some of these accounts “falsely stated that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker and shared unverified claims about his political and ideological views”, Dawes said, adding: “There was a clear connection between online activity and violent disorder seen on UK streets.”

“On some platforms, false information regarding the identity of the attacker continued to spread in the three days it took for his real identity to be made public, even when there was evidence of intent to stir up racial and religious hatred.”

Once the online safety bill comes into force, Ofcom will be expecting platforms to: make explicit how they protect users from illegal hateful content to have processes which can swiftly take it down, especially viral content and to have robust complaints mechanisms.

Dawes added that the event further “highlights the importance of promoting media literacy, to heighten public awareness and understanding of how people can protect themselves and others online”.

Source: the Guadian