A taskforce launched by the Government last year aimed at protecting the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference is currently looking at a range of ways to tackle the spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories online.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce, which is chaired by Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, and includes members of the security services as well as Home Office and science department officials, focuses on the role of rogue state actors in spreading disinformation.
“Countering this is right at the heart of the work of the taskforce,” a Government source said.
One area under consideration is boosting the role of fact-checking organisations, but officials are wary that this could lead to a new set of controversies. BBC Verify recently came under fire for using an anti-Israel journalist bankrolled by Iran as a key source in its reporting on the Gaza conflict.
Another option being studied by the taskforce is whether social media companies can contain the speed at which disinformation is shared on their platforms.
Flood of conspiracy theories
Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said the frenzied social media attacks had “done damage” to the Royal family.
“When you’ve got a young lady, the Princess of Wales, who has suffered a medical emergency, you see people flooding in with conspiracy theories, you see them being amplified on social media platforms and pushed to millions and millions of people,” he told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
“What really, I think, annoyed me was seeing that she was then being revictimised by being blamed for not having come out immediately.
“I think it’s the inhumanity of the way that social media has made us behave, forcing people to talk about things that can be very deeply personal.
“And also seeing of course the impact of that on our society, how quickly it was picked up by millions of people, and how much it’s done damage to the Royal family themselves.”
Palace sources say the current challenges facing the Royal family, in which both the King and Princess are off public duty as they undergo treatment for cancer, are a “temporary blip” rather than a “seismic change”.
They added that the King was “very positive” and was “building towards” a return to public work in the summer, health permitting.
On Sunday morning, churches around Britain said prayers for the Princess and her family, asking for God to grant them “faith, hope, and knowledge of your love”.
Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, said hearing the Princess talk about her cancer diagnosis “cut me to the quick” as it reminded him of his own late brother’s experience of the disease.
The Chancellor said that he was “touched” by the Princess’s announcement on Friday and particularly her experience explaining her diagnosis to her three young children.
The Princess said in her Friday statement that her news came as a “huge shock”, adding: “William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
