UK MPs find social media algorithms amplified Southport riot misinformation
A UK parliamentary committee found that social media recommendation algorithms at Meta, X, Google and TikTok amplified false information about the Southport murders, fueling violence across England. The MPs concluded the companies' business models incentivize spreading harmful content and called for stricter regulation, including potential fines of up to 10% of global turnover for platforms whose algorithms cause significant harm.
What happened
Following the Southport murders in July 2024, false posts incorrectly identifying the attacker as a Muslim asylum seeker spread widely on social media. A false name was seen 420,000 times with a potential reach of 1.7 billion people, and the misleading and hateful messaging was amplified by the recommendation algorithms of social media companies including X, Meta, Google and TikTok.
A cross-party report from the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee found that social media companies "enabled and even encouraged" the spread of misinformation through business models that "incentivise the spread of content that is damaging and dangerous." The committee said the companies' responses were "inconsistent and inadequate" and that social media was used to organise the unrest, with accounts created for the riots including far-right symbols and calls for 'mass deportation'.
Reported impact
Ofcom stated there was a "clear link" between the false posts and violence across England in the weeks following the attacks. The committee concluded that the social media business models and their algorithmic amplification "endangered public safety in the hours and days following the Southport murders."
The report warns that the country remains "vulnerable to a repeat of last summer's crisis" and calls for stricter regulation of social media companies, including the power for Ofcom to fine platforms up to 10% of global turnover if recommendation systems cause "significant harm."
Index analysis
The committee found that current laws, including the Online Safety Act, are "unable to tackle the spread of misinformation" and "cannot keep users safe online." The government is "hamstrung" by a "lack of transparency" about how social media recommendation algorithms work.
Governance controls
The committee called for updated online safety legislation to account for artificial intelligence advances and recommended that AI companies be regulated in the same way as social media firms. Ofcom has said companies will be required to set up "war rooms" to cope with events that have the potential to lead to violence.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.