UK to tighten internet laws to fight disinformation from Russia

MADRID, 5 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The United Kingdom has announced this Monday that it will strengthen Internet laws and technology companies will be obliged to protect Internet users from "state-sponsored disinformation", as it poses a "threat" to society and democracy in the United Kingdom, under changes to a landmark online safety bill.

The legislation will require social media platforms, video streaming services and search engines to take steps to minimize user exposure to disinformation backed by foreign states and aimed at interfering in the UK, as has been collected 'The Guardian'.

Also affected will be content such as the video in which UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace was pranked earlier this year by Russian comedians.

British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has said the invasion of Ukraine has exposed Russia's willingness to use social media to spread lies and disinformation.

"We cannot allow foreign states or their puppets to use the Internet to wage hostile online warfare unhindered," he stressed, adding "that is why we are strengthening our new Internet security protections to ensure that media companies identify and eradicate state-backed disinformation".

The amendment will be added to the next national security bill, which is due for parliamentary scrutiny by a committee of deputies next week.

Currently, the Internet Safety Bill, which is expected to become law by the end of the year, already requires tech companies to act against foreign state-sponsored disinformation that "harms people," such as death threats.

Disinformation is often seeded by multiple fake accounts, with the aim of getting real users to unknowingly "share" it, British security minister Damian Hinds has stressed.

Thus, he has emphasized that the United Kingdom needs "the big online platforms to do more to identify and disrupt this type of inauthentic and coordinated behavior. That is what this proposal for a change in the law is about."

The government's amendment was announced as the Culture, Media and Sport Commission (DCMS) proposed changes to the bill that would curb the Culture Secretary's influence in crafting new rules for business. technological.

"The freedom of the media depends on the regulator being free from the threat of daily interference from the Executive," said the Conservative MP and chairman of the commission, Julian Knight.