Following disorder in parts of the UK, first minister John Swinney has written to X, Meta and TikTok to ask what action they are taking to combat the spread of misinformation, and to address racist and hateful material on their platforms.

In a letter addressed to the companies, Swinney emphasised the responsibility of social media platforms to protect communities from harmful content.

He wrote, “Social media platforms have a duty to take action to ensure that individuals in our society are not subjected to hate and threatening behaviour, and that communities are protected from violent disorder.”

Swinney shared his concerns after meeting with representatives from faith and refugee groups, as well as Scottish political party leaders and Police Scotland.

He stated that social media has played a significant role in spreading misinformation, raising alarm, and creating a sense of threat in various communities. “They were clear to me about the impact of social media in spreading misinformation, raising alarm and the sense of threat in their communities,” Swinney noted.

Police Scotland also expressed concerns over posts containing “deliberate misinformation, with provocative and incendiary language,” some of which may meet the threshold for charges under Scotland’s hate crime legislation. Swinney highlighted the importance of timely removal of such content, especially when flagged by law enforcement, stating, “this increases the risk of spread of malicious content.”

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The first minister also referenced a communication from Ofcom, reminding social media companies of their obligation to remove material that incites hatred or violence. He urged the platforms to outline the specific actions they are taking to combat these issues, stressing the urgency of the situation: “Given the seriousness of the situation, action needs to be immediate and decisive.”

Ofcom has stated that tech firms should take their role more seriously when it comes to tackling illegal content on their platforms. Under the Online Safety Act, illegal content is defined as depicting hatred, disorder, provoking violence or certain instances of disinformation.

Swinney concludes the later by stating he would like to “understand the steps you [social media firms] are taking to address this, particularly for content that police identify as illegal or harmful.”

What’s led to this?

The recent spate of disorder across the UK has brought sharp relief to the spread of violent rhetoric and disinformation that has become a hallmark of the darker corners of social media.

As has been widely reported, the riots which erupted on the streets of major English cities began after the killing of three young girls in Southport in late July. Since then, disorder has spread to towns including Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Belfast, with protests regularly descending into violence.

These protests are largely being organised and promoted on social media platforms, predominantly Telegram and X, with rioters then posting videos and images of attacks on members of the public, which have since gained hundreds of thousands of views.