Platforms
1 min read

Will a fake news inquiry fix the problem?

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Digital bosses from Facebook, Google and Twitter could be called in for questioning by MPs if the media select committee goes ahead with a fake news inquiry said to be planned for the coming months.

Damian Collins, chairman of the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee, told the Sunday Telegraph that sessions could begin in early summer with executives asked to explain what they were doing to tackle the dangers of fake news.

Ministers are understood to have spoken about the problem of fake news with the News Media Association, which represents local, regional and national news media publishers in the UK.

Collins told the paper: “What’s interesting is we’ve accepted that search engines have a responsibility to combat piracy on their websites.

“In a similar way, I think social media [companies] have a responsibility to ensure their platforms are not being used to spread malicious content.

Read more…