Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the increase in the level of (a) misinformation and (b) disinformation from (i) non-state actors on social media platforms (ii) all sources during elections.

DSIT takes the threat of mis- and disinformation from all actors extremely seriously. The 2024 General Election and 2025 Local Elections ran smoothly and securely, with no serious information incidents affecting their integrity. DSIT, as part of the Defending Democracy Taskforce, worked with partners across government and social media platforms to minimise information risks during the election.

Since then, the Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties came into force in March 2025, requiring platforms to address and remove illegal content, including content that incites violence, intends to harm, intimidate, or deceive voters into changing their vote, or constitutes foreign interference.