Afternoon, Thursday, 22nd May 2025
Online
This conference will focus on priorities for policy, regulation, and industry best practice in tackling disinformation and deepfakes in the UK.
It will be an opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to discuss strategies for managing challenges associated with harmful and false content online, while balancing online safety and freedom of expression.
Session in the agenda will examine recent developments, such as the proposal to criminalise creation of sexually explicit deepfake images and related offences under the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill, as well as the current regulatory approach under the Online Safety Act.
Delegates will also consider proposals to increase transparency in algorithmic decision-making and measures to enhance enforcement mechanisms for online platforms, as the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee continues its inquiry into social media algorithms and their role in spreading harmful content. They will further consider what measures might be needed to adjust business models of social media platforms to reduce the spread of harmful content, including potential incentives or regulatory frameworks to support responsible content practices.
The conference also comes as the Foreign Affairs Committee launch a new inquiry into the threat disinformation campaigns pose to the UK, and in the context of recent developments within the US regarding protection of free speech and decisions by major social media platforms to adopt community-based fact checking systems. Discussion is expected on responsibilities of providers and creators in the UK, including priorities for providing clarity for stakeholders, and strategies for enforcing accountability, sanctions and redress. We also expect a focus on implications of international divergence on approaches to mis- and disinformation for policy, practice and social media markets in the UK, EU and globally.
Further sessions will discuss support for consumers and citizens in navigating the World Wide Web, in the context of misinformation rising in prevalence. The evolving landscape for journalism will be assessed, looking at what is needed to safeguard the provision of reliable news in a changing media environment and maintain diverse and trustworthy news sources, including recommendations for supporting local journalism.
We also expect the agenda to bring out latest thinking on measures to enhance protections against harmful online content and to promote resilience through education and digital literacy, including priorities for Ofcom’s Advisory Committee on Disinformation and its Media Literacy Strategy.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- policy:
- legislation on creation of sexually explicit deepfake images - wider policy options for tackling mis- and disinformation
- key issues and proposed solutions emerging from inquiries by the Science, Innovation and Technology and Foreign Affairs Committees - policy options for improving media literacy
- regulation:
- implementation of legislation - responsibilities and clarity for stakeholders - accountability, sanctions and redress
- the future of content moderation - safeguarding the provision of reliable news
- algorithms:
- relationship between algorithms, AI and misinformation - assessing the extent to which social media business models facilitate the spread of misinformation
- considering accountability in the spread of misinformation as a result of search engine algorithm use
- international approaches to disinformation:
- assessing the impact of developments in the US on UK platforms - considering the EU Digital Services Act and its implications for mis- and disinformation
- future of journalism:
- next steps for ensuring access to reliable and trustworthy news sources in the climate of online news consumption
- priorities for supporting local journalism - the future for journalism amid a rise in misinformation
- media literacy:
- assessing Ofcom’s strategy for enhancing media literacy - priorities for helping the public better recognise disinformation and preventing the spread of misinformation
- support for media literacy programmes
