Elections: Internet

The Government takes attempts by any country to intervene in democratic processes very seriously. It is and will always be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic and electoral processes, including from covert funding.

We have a range of protections in place to address the risk of online interference in UK democratic processes. The Foreign Interference Offence is a priority offence in the Online Safety Act, requiring all in-scope companies to take action against a range of state-linked disinformation and interference online. This means that social media platforms, search engines and other apps and websites allowing people to post their own content must minimise their users’ exposure to state-backed attempts to undermine our democratic, political and legal processes.

The Electoral Commission is the independent body responsible for regulating political finance. It has a wide range of investigatory powers, including the ability to request specific information from regulated entities at any time, and any information from anyone, such as social media companies as part of an investigation. We are currently considering the Rycroft Review’s recommendation to strengthen the Electoral Commission’s powers to request information from any person or organisation outside of an investigation.

Depending on the circumstances, a social media company adjusting network algorithms to favour a specific political candidate or party could either be a regulated donation in kind or could be in scope of third-party campaign spending rules. Any suspected breaches of the rules are a matter for the Electoral Commission or the police.

The Online Safety Act requires services to assess and mitigate risks arising from their systems and design features, including algorithms, and gives Ofcom strong powers to scrutinise their operation.