Social media helped radicalise Axel Rudakubana. MPs must press tech giants for real answers
Today will see representatives from tech companies answer questions from MPs about the role their platforms played in spreading hate, harm and misinformation in the wake of the Southport attack.
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We can expect deflection and obfuscation to tough questions, which these companies will simply absorb as a PR exercise while dodging meaningful action to make their sites safe.
It is not just the aftermath of the attack that companies should answer for. The violent content Axel Rudakubana viewed in the moments before the attack shouldn’t have been available in the first place but still largely remains online.
The fluid ideologies highlighted by the case are playing out in the form of extreme violence and grooming children into livestreaming attempted suicide and self-harm acts.
Meanwhile hugely damaging suicide, self-harm and depression content like that Molly Russell viewed before her death remains online, amplified by aggressive algorithms to vulnerable young people.
Instead of pulling up the drawbridge Meta has chosen to scale back how it deals with much of this content, with no reassurances that their rule changes won’t leave our children worse off.
When a coroner ruled social media played a part in Molly’s death it should have been Big Tech’s Big Tobacco moment.
Instead we are going backwards.
Despite being warned about the fluid ideological groups that are driving these disturbing new threat behaviours over a year ago, the regulator Ofcom ignored our warnings and even dismissed a public advisory from the FBI.
In fact, their rules for tackling illegal behaviour online contained no specific measures for companies to address illegal self-harm and suicide content.
Ofcom’s lack of ambition has highlighted deep weaknesses in the existing Online Safety Act and shown us a regime that is far more focused on economic proportionality than protecting a generation of children at risk.
It is now over to the Prime Minister to act.
New legislation that focusses on the conduct of tech companies is crucial.
A strengthened and reworked Online Safety Act that enforces a Duty of Care on companies is urgently required - otherwise Big Tech will hide behind weak regulations and say they are complying with the law.
Recent reports suggest that Big Tech has the ear of the Government. Secretary of State Peter Kyle met big tech companies no less than 14 times in just three months.
Sir Keir Starmer should listen to the clear message from UK parents and families instead. This country wants an end to preventable harm and decisive action to keep our children safe.
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Andy Burrows is Chief Executive of the Molly Rose Foundation.
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