Tech firms need to implement protocols in place to respond to spikes in illegal contend during crisis, Ofcom has ordered.

The push for regulation comes after the riots that broke out across England following stabbings in Southport in 2024 – a flurry of mis and disinformation circulated across social media, sparking racist riots across several cities in England.

Ofcom warned that if illegal content is allowed and enabled to be spread rapidly online, it can pose a serious threat to public safety. A real-world crisis can cause a surge in illegal content online, as exemplified in the UK in 2024.

Ofcom said that such crises are exceptional and occur infrequently, which means that tech firms’ usual moderation processes may not be sufficient in these circumstances.

The regulator is therefore adding new measures to its online safety codes of practice, under which platforms should have protocols in place to respond to spikes in illegal content during a crisis.

Ofcom’s new safety measures means that tech firms should act promptly and effectively during a crisis, to manage a significant increase in illegal content appearing and address the risk of their platform being used to commit or facilitate criminal offences.

The regulator would expect providers to deploy a temporary response team as soon as possible when a crisis occurs. They should also conduct a post-crisis analysis and keep a record of this, which we can formally request. This should include key decisions and evaluate the protocol’s effectiveness, so that lessons can be learned each time.

Additionally, large platforms should establish a dedicated communication channel through which crisis-related information may be shared by law enforcement agencies, to support faster and more coordinated public safety efforts.

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These new amendments still need to go through the parliamentary process prior to coming into effect.

It is currently uncertain where in the government and parliamentary timetables these amendments will fall, and when the legislation will come into effect.

A review of the riots resulting from the Southport murders found that social media posts, particularly X, played an integral role in spreading the misinformation and disinformation that fuel the riots.