UK Politics

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe role of social media in the violence and disorder on Britain’s streets has become a key issue, with the moderation and regulation of platforms coming under scrutiny.Misinformation spreading online in part helped sparked the riots, and now people are being arrested and charged for inciting hatred or violence through social media platforms.Here is a closer look at how social media content moderation currently works, how posting hateful material can be a crime and how regulation of the sector could change moderation going forward.– How do social media sites moderate content currently?All major social media platforms have community rules that they require their users to follow, but how they enforce these rules can vary depending on how their content moderation teams are set up and how they carry out that process.Most of the biggest sites have several thousand human moderators looking at content that has been flagged to them or has been found proactively by human staff or software and AI-powered tools designed to spot harmful material.– What are the limitations as it stands?There are several key issues with content moderation in general, including: the size of social media makes it hard to find and remove everything harmful posted; moderators – both human and artificial – can struggle to spot nuanced or localised context and, therefore, sometimes mistake the harmful for the innocent; and moderation is heavily reliant on users reporting content to moderators – something which does not always happen in online echo chambers.Furthermore, the use of encrypted messaging on some sites means not all content is publicly visible and can be spotted and reported by other users. Instead, they rely on those inside encrypted groups reporting potentially harmful content.In many instances, social media platforms are taking action against posts inciting or encouraging the disorder (PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe Government will have to “look more broadly at social media” after recent rioting, the Prime Minister has said in an apparent hint that further regulation could be considered.False information spread on social media about the identity of the alleged Southport knife attacker has been seen as playing a role in sparking the recent violence, leading some to call for tougher regulation.Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been among those calling for reform, saying recent events have shown regulations due to come into force under the Online Safety Act are “not fit for purpose”.Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X, has been criticised for disseminating false information about recent disorder in the UK (Leon Neal/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorUS commentator Joe Rogan has waded in on the government’s response to the riots sweeping the UK, comparing the country to “Soviet Russia” in a clip shared by tech billionaire Elon Musk. Musk, dubbed “deeply irresponsible” for a barrage of attacks on the government’s attempts to tackle violent disorder in the UK, reposted the clip which shows Rogan making unsubstantiated claims about policing in England.Speaking on his podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, the commentator hit out at what he dubbed “terrible government overreach”, falsely claiming 4,000 people in England have been arrested for “thought crimes”.Around 500 people have been arrested during disorder linked to the far-right, which began following the killing of three young girls in Southport after social media posts falsely claimed the suspect was a Muslim immigrant. A number of those relate to activity on social media but others include violent disorder, assault, punching police and burglary. Speaking on his podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, the commentator hit out at what he dubbed “terrible government overreach” More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditor Just two days after being disbanded by court order, Thailand’s main progressive political party regrouped Friday under a new name and vowed to continue its fight for reforms despite continuing opposition from the conservative establishment that blocked the party from taking power despite finishing first in last year’s election.Leaders of the dissolved Move Forward Party announced they were forming a new party to be called the People’s — or Prachachon — Party.Critics say the party’s dissolution was the latest attack on the country’s progressive movement in a yearslong legal campaign by conservative forces.Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday unanimously ruled that the Move Forward Party violated the constitution by proposing to amend a law that criminalizes insulting the royal family.It also banned former Move Forward executives, including popular former chief Pita Limjaroenrat, from politics for 10 years.Move Forward won the most seats in the 2023 general election, but conservative, military-appointed Senators voted down its candidate for prime minister. The party’s surprise victory was seen as reflecting widespread desire for democratic reforms, especially among younger voters, after years of military rule.Lawmakers of a dissolved political party who are not banned from politics can keep their seats in Parliament if they join another party within 60 days. Move Forward had 148 lawmakers in Parliament, but five are now-banned executives who cannot continue to serve.Speaking at the new party’s inaugural meeting, attended by the 143 remaining MPs and other party members, lawmaker Parit Wacharasindhu announced that the reformed party would be named the People’s Party because it wants to be “a party from the people and for the people, and to work on creating a Thailand where absolute power belongs to the people.”He named five new executive board members, including the new party’s leader 37-year-old IT expert Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut.Natthaphong told the crowd the party would pursue the ambitious goal of winning enough seats to form a single-party government in the next elections in 2027.Wednesday’s court ruling drew international concern.“This decision disenfranchises the more than 14 million Thais who voted for the Move Forward Party in the May 2023 election and raises questions about their representation within Thailand’s electoral system,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. “The Constitutional Court’s decision also jeopardizes Thailand’s democratic progress and runs counter to the aspirations of the Thai people for a strong, democratic future.”“The United States does not take a position in support of any political party, but as a close ally and friend with deep and enduring ties, we urge Thailand to take actions to ensure fully inclusive political participation, and to protect democracy and the freedoms of association and expression,” he said.The European Union issued a similar statement.Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the court’s ruling “was deeply troubling and undermines democratic processes and restricts political pluralism.”“This decision seriously impacts fundamental freedoms of expression and association, and people’s right to participate in public affairs and political life in Thailand,” said Türk. “No party or politician should ever face such penalties for peacefully advocating legal reform, particularly in support of human rights.”Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters on Thursday that he expects Move Forward to respect the court’s ruling and to find an appropriate way to continue its work.When asked about the international reaction to the party’s dissolution, Srettha said he understood that concerns were expressed in a spirit of goodwill, but “they don’t mean anything, because we have sovereignty and our own ways in terms of political and democratic developments.” More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSadiq Khan has said he does not feel safe as an openly Muslim politician following riots that have rocked the UK over the last week – and that he has been left heartbroken for his children. Hundreds of people have been arrested during disorder linked to the far-right, which began following the killing of three young girls in Southport after social media posts falsely claimed the suspect was a Muslim immigrant.“Like a lot of people of my generation, I felt triggered by the events of the last couple of weeks in particular”, the London mayor told The Guardian. “It’s difficult to explain the ripples when you’ve been targeted because of your religion or colour of your skin and you can’t change either of those things. And whether you’re seeing physical acts of violence taking place in the North West or the North East, you feel it in London.“What’s heartbreaking to me is my children’s generation had never experienced what I had. And they, for the first time, were scared. I thought I’d be the last generation to be scared, simply for who I am. And it breaks my heart.”Sadiq Khan has said he does not feel safe as an openly Muslim politician More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSadiq Khan has urged the Government to revisit new social media rules, saying that the disorder of the last week shows that regulations due to come into force are “not fit for purpose”.New regulation of social media platforms – the Online Safety Act – became law in the UK last year but has not yet fully come into effect.Once in place, it will require platforms to take “robust action” against illegal content and activity, including around offences such as inciting violence.I think what the government should do very quickly is check whether the Online Safety Act is fit for purpose; I think it’s not fit for purposeMayor of London Sadiq KhanBut the Mayor of London said that the rioting over the last week, which came after misinformation about the suspected Southport attacker spread on social media, showed that reform of the regulation was necessary.“The way the algorithms work, the way that misinformation can spread very quickly and disinformation … that’s a cause to be concerned, we’ve seen a direct consequence of this,” he told The Guardian.“I think what the government should do very quickly is check whether the Online Safety Act is fit for purpose; I think it’s not fit for purpose.”After the stabbings in Southport on July 29, an incorrect name and a false story around the background of the suspected perpetrator spread online.In recent days Elon Musk, the owner of X, has been heavily criticised for posts about the disorder in the wake of the Southport stabbings.The billionaire was called “deeply irresponsible” by Justice Secretary Heidi Alexander for posting that “civil war is inevitable” in the UK.He also reposted an image of a fake news headline about the UK’s response to riots.The Online Safety Act will, for the first time, make firms legally responsible for keeping users safe when they use their services.In a few months, new safety duties under the Online Safety Act will be in place, but you can act now – there is no need to wait to make your sites and apps safer for usersIt will require platforms to put in place clear and proportionate safety measures to prevent illegal and other harmful content from appearing and spreading on their sites.The biggest platforms could face billions of pounds in fines if they do not comply.Named managers could be held criminally liable in some instances, and sites may face having their access limited in the most severe cases.Ofcom, which will oversee the new laws, on Wednesday urged social media companies to do more to deal with content stirring up hatred or provoking violence on Britain’s streets.The watchdog said: “In a few months, new safety duties under the Online Safety Act will be in place, but you can act now – there is no need to wait to make your sites and apps safer for users.” More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has told far-right thugs that there will be no let-up in bringing them to justice, as he held his third emergency Cobra meeting in a week amid concerns there could be a new wave of violence this weekend.It is understood he told the meeting on Thursday evening that police need to remain on “high alert” so they are prepared for any possible further unrest in the coming days.His warning came as police chiefs said they believe there has been a “turning point” in the rioting that has scarred Britain’s streets, after a show of mass unity by anti-racist protesters appeared to see off the threat of attacks on asylum centres and rights lawyers. More rioters were jailed on Thursday, including a couple in Hartlepool who joined a mob after a day playing bingo, and a 69-year-old retired welder in Liverpool who set fire to bins and threw missiles at police.Starmer visits the Solihull Mosque in Birmingham, and meets Jehangir Malik, member of the mosque management team, and Sohail Hasani, founding trustee of the mosque and community centre More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorA new Labour MP has apologised and said she “deeply regrets” recently unearthed offensive tweets. Lauren Edwards, the new MP for Rochester and Strood made comments about Estonians, Parliament’s cleaners and a halal restaurant, in the now-deleted posts. In one, Ms Edwards wrote: “I want these f****** Estonian r****** out of my flat now!”She said she had made a “significant error of judgement” in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.Lauren Edwards has apologised after old Tweets resurfaced (UK Parliament/PA)The posts date from more than a decade ago, between 2009-2011.Ms Edwards, who worked as a parliamentary researcher for Labour MPs including Barbara Keeley, Teresa Pearce and Lisa Nandy until 2013, also tweeted: “Are the cleaners on recess too? My desk has so many coffee rings it looks like Saturn.”Another, which appeared to respond to an account called Baroness Wrenthorpe, said: “Baroness Wrenthorpe text me from Walthamstow to say he’s seen a halal Pakistani Chinese Grill place. Hope he’s not suggesting we go there.”On Thursday, she said she had been recently made aware of a small number of tweets she postedover a decade ago “which I now deeply regret.”They were a significant error of judgement on my part, and I apologise wholeheartedly.”She added that: “Since becoming a local councillor and more recently an MP, I have seen first-hand the importance of bringing communities together and working with tolerance and respect for all in our society.”I pledge to use my platform to continue that important work and dedicate myself to serving all residents of Rochester and Strood.”Former Tory MP Kelly Tolhurst called the comments ‘divisive and unpleasant’ (House of Commons/PA) More