UK Parliamentary Committee Calls for Tough Tech Regulation in Disinformation Report

A scathing report from the UK Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has called for sweeping reforms to regulate tech giants and combat the spread of disinformation online, warning that “democracy is at risk” from targeted misinformation campaigns.

The final report on “Disinformation and ‘Fake News'” demands mandatory oversight of social media companies, including a compulsory Code of Ethics enforced by an independent regulator with legal authority to pursue companies that breach standards.

“The age of inadequate self-regulation must come to an end,” declared Committee Chair Damian Collins MP. “The rights of the citizen need to be established in statute, by requiring tech companies to adhere to a code of conduct written into law by Parliament, and overseen by an independent regulator.”

The committee reserved particularly harsh criticism for Facebook, accusing the company of deliberately frustrating its investigation by providing “incomplete, disingenuous and at times misleading answers.” The report states that Facebook “intentionally and knowingly violated both data privacy and anti-competition laws” based on internal company emails examined by the committee.

MPs specifically condemned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for refusing to appear before the committee despite multiple invitations, saying his absence demonstrated “contempt” toward both the UK Parliament and an international grand committee of legislators from nine countries.

“Even if Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t believe he is accountable to the UK Parliament, he is to the billions of Facebook users across the world,” Collins stated.

The report highlights how Facebook’s business practices included overriding user privacy settings to transfer data to certain app developers while charging high prices to others or restricting their access entirely. The committee recommends that the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office conduct a detailed investigation into Facebook’s platform and data practices, while the Competition and Markets Authority should examine potential anti-competitive behavior.

Beyond Facebook, the report identifies serious concerns about Russian interference in UK democratic processes. It criticizes the government for accepting evidence of Russian involvement in the Skripal poisoning case while remaining “reluctant to accept evidence of interference in the 2016 UK Referendum.”

The committee calls for an independent investigation into potential foreign influence in recent UK elections and referendums, including the 2016 Brexit vote, the 2017 general election, and the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

Current electoral laws were deemed “hopelessly out of date for the internet age” by the committee, which advocates comprehensive reform to address online micro-targeted political campaigning. The report demands greater transparency in political advertising, with clear identification of sources and advertisers, plus expanded powers for the Electoral Commission to regulate digital campaigning.

The committee also found evidence of improper relationships between insurance company Eldon Insurance and the pro-Brexit Leave.EU campaign, both associated with businessman Arron Banks. It concluded that Banks and associate Andy Wigmore “gave misleading evidence to the Committee” and showed “complete disregard and disdain for the parliamentary process.”

The report’s recommendations align with recent ministerial statements suggesting the UK government is prepared to impose new regulations on social media companies, particularly following the death of teenager Molly Russell, whose suicide has been linked to harmful online content.

With the government’s White Paper on online harms expected soon, this report significantly increases pressure for substantive legislative action to curb the power of tech giants and protect democratic processes from manipulation through digital channels.