Watchdog makes warning over misinformation after rioting that broke out after girls’ deaths in Southport

Social media algorithms must be adjusted to prevent misinformation from spreading, the chief executive of Ofcom has warned, responding to the rioting that broke out after the killing of three girls in Southport this summer.

Misinformation about the Southport incident proliferated despite tech firms and social media platforms’ “uneven” attempts to stop it, wrote Ofcom chief executive, Melanie Dawes, in a letter to the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, Peter Kyle.