Social media algorithms ‘must be adjusted to prevent misinformation’ – Ofcom

Watchdog makes warning after rioting that broke out after girls’ murders in Southport

Social media algorithms must be adjusted to prevent misinformation from spreading, the chief executive of Ofcom has warned, responding to the rioting that broke out after the murder of three little girls in Southport this summer.

Misinformation about the Southport incident proliferated despite tech firms and social media platforms’ “uneven” attempts to stop it, wrote Ofcom chief executive, Melanie Dawes, in a letter to the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, Peter Kyle.