Written question asked by Jim Cunningham (Labour) on Thursday, 17 October 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 22 October 2019 (named day). It was answered by Matt Warman (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 October 2019 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Elections: Fraud

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture Media and Sport, what recent representations she has made to social media companies on the dissemination of misinformation from fraudulent accounts during elections.

Answer: The Government is working closely with industry, civil society and international partners to do what is necessary to prevent the use of online disinformation to undermine our democratic values and processes. Ministers and officials have regular meetings with social media companies on countering disinformation, including during elections. We welcome the measures taken by these companies to tackle the spread of disinformation and harmful content on their platforms but recognise that more needs to be done.

Secondary information