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Written question asked by Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour) on Wednesday, 15 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 1 September 2026. It was answered by Ian Murray (Labour) on Monday, 7 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Artificial Intelligence: Internet

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of regulating the use of online retention algorithms directed at adult consumers.

Answer

Government recognises that algorithms can expose users to harmful content. All users, particularly vulnerable users, should feel supported to make choices about what they see online.

As set out in the Protecting What Matters strategy, we are exploring how to give adults greater control over their algorithms to reduce their exposure to harmful content. This builds on provisions in the Online Safety Act requiring Category 1 services to give users more choice over the content they consume through ‘user empowerment’ tools in 2027.

Alongside this, we are developing a Researcher Access to Data framework to improve transparency and scrutiny of the role of algorithms.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
19048
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Internet Artificial intelligence
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk