The Online Harms White Paper, published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in conjunction with the Home Office in December 2020, outlined a new regulatory framework to be regulated by Ofcom. This framework will form the basis of the Online Safety Bill, which, among other things, includes the protection of individuals from harm that might be caused by disinformation and misinformation online. Additionally, conspiracies surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have proliferated online, contributing to vaccine hesitancy.

In information ecosystems controlled by algorithms that respond to clicks, sensational information often propagates faster and more broadly than fact. In 2019, 87% of adults in the UK used the internet daily or almost every day according to the ONS, a figure which may well have grown out of necessity during the pandemic. What impact will the digital legacy of lockdown have on the dissemination of disinformation in the future? Will regulation threaten freedom of speech? Or is it essential to protect the democratic rights of civilians from the digital persuasion nexus?

This timely event will explore the emerging threat landscape of misinformation and disinformation online, and provide actionable insights into tackling this pressing issue.