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

Social media algorithms must be adjusted to prevent misinformation from spreading, the chief executive of Ofcom has warned, responding to the rioting that broke out after the killing of three girls in Southport this summer.

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.

Dawes was responding to Kyle’s request for information about whether Ofcom would be targeting online misinformation in the next update of its illegal harms code of practice, which social media companies will be required to sign up to when the online safety bill comes into force.

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