Two individuals have been sentenced to prison terms for inciting racial hatred on social media during the summer riots. Tyler Kay was sentenced to 38 months, while Jordan Parlour received a 20-month sentence. Following the unrest, Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised social media, stating that the platforms “carries responsibility” for tackling misinformation. More than 30 people have been arrested for their social media posts. A total of 17 of those have been charged while others did not meet the threshold for criminality. Some posts that did not cross the line into criminality may still have had considerable effects on society and should be held accountable.
The role of social media platforms in the production and spread of hate speech has drawn increased attention following the riots. A number of individuals have been arrested and charged, but others have not faced retribution. The situation is further complicated by the role of social media organisations and their business models, which prioritise engagement over safety. Despite these issues, little has been done to compel them to alter their business models.
The cases of two individuals, including a dad in Pakistan and a businesswoman from Chester, illustrate the ways in which social media can amplify false information. In one instance, a pseudo-news website posted a false name of a 17-year old charged with the murders of three girls; the name was then widely quoted by others. Another poster who also shared the false name on social media was a businesswoman with over 50,000 followers. Both posters shared untrue claims that the 17-year-old was an asylum seeker who had come to the UK by boat. Combined with their claims that the attacker was Muslim, these falsehoods contributed to the riots that targeted mosques and asylum seekers.
The UK’s head of counter-terror policing, Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, said that social media played a significant role in the riots. Jukes supervises the Internet Referral Unit and said that there were approximately 1,200 posts flagged to police by members of the public, with 13 times more referrals in relation to one social media platform, compared to TikTok. However, while action has been taken against those engaging in the disorder, social media companies have not faced repercussions and have not paid any price for enabling the spread of harmful content.
In conclusion, the riots have raised concerns about the role of social media companies in enabling the spread of misinformation and hate speech. While some individuals have been charged, the business models of social media companies remain unchanged, prioritising engagement over safety. It will be a considerable challenge for politicians and regulators to compel companies to amend their business models in order to safeguard online users
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
