Ministers may try to curb spread of misinformation during social unrest

Technology secretary Liz Kendall says she is ‘very concerned’ about role of social media but will not be ‘bullied off’ X

The government is considering fresh action to halt the spread of misinformation during public crises, Liz Kendall has said, insisting she will not be “bullied off” Elon Musk’s X.

The technology secretary was speaking after rioting broke out in Southampton over the police response to the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak, a case about which Musk has repeatedly posted.

She said she was “very concerned” about the role of social media platforms in times of unrest, adding: “I definitely think, particularly during moments of crisis and disorder and when public safety is important, we need to look at what more we can do.”

Kendall pointed to a report last year from the Commons science, innovation and technology committee that called for Ofcom to implement “crisis response protocols” to hold platforms responsible for misinformation.

The media regulator has consulted on the issue, with more details expected to be announced this month. The committee launched its investigation after the riots of summer 2024, when misinformation spread quickly after the murder of three girls at a dance class in Southport.

Its report found that “misleading and hateful messaging proliferated rapidly online, amplified by the recommendation algorithms of social media companies”.

Kendall said the government was “looking at not only boosting trusted sources of information, which I think is extremely important and there’s probably more we could do there. But also, you know, enabling people to reset their algorithms.”