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Internet: Regulation

Asked by Sir Oliver DowdenConservativeDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and SportTabled Answered 8 September 2026UIN 21194

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will bring forward legislative proposals for requiring transparency over mass reaction patterns, bot activity, foreign-originated manipulation, and algorithmic amplification of hateful online content.

Answered by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

The Online Safety Act requires regulated services to produce annual transparency reports on safety related issues and the experiences of their users, which could include algorithm design and the incidence of illegal content (including illegal hateful content and foreign interference activity). Ofcom has a range of information gathering powers under the Act, including to compel companies to share information on the impacts of service design on content seen by users.

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