Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister or official authorised the Rapid Response Unit to collect of data related to public statements, social media and internet activity as part of that unit's work.

The Rapid Response Unit was launched, initially as a six-month pilot in April 2018; its formation having received approval at Ministerial level in January 2018. During the pandemic, the Cabinet Office expanded the team to monitor disinformation about Covid. The Rapid Response Unit used only publicly available data, including material shared on social media platforms, to assess UK disinformation trends and narratives.