The UK communications regulator Ofcom has raised concerns regarding social media being used to incite violence amid far-right riots across the country. In an open letter, Ofcom’s online safety director, Gill Whitehead, urged online platforms to tackle the potential spread of harmful materials related to the ongoing discord, highlighting its existing powers over video sharing platforms and its upcoming enforcement of the broader Online Safety Act.
Ofcom is specifically encouraging platforms to address content that depicts “hatred and disorder” and promotes violence or disinformation. The regulator’s existing powers allow it to “suspend or restrict” video sharing platforms that fail to protect the public from “harmful material” —…
