Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of social media platforms accessible in the UK, such as Telegram, for disseminating Russian propaganda; and what plans they have, if any, to ask those companies to remove material which may be in breach of sanctions.

The DCMS-led Counter Disinformation Unit works to identify and counter Russian disinformation targeted at UK audiences. The Counter Disinformation Unit works closely with the major social media platforms to encourage them to take appropriate action on disinformation and co-ordinated inauthentic or manipulated behaviour, as per their terms of service.

We are also strengthening our new internet safety protections in the Online Safety Bill to make sure that social media firms identify and root out state-backed disinformation. Along with the National Security Bill, this Bill provides the legislative tools to ensure that service providers are forced to take proactive action against attempts by foreign actors to manipulate the online environment to interfere in our society and democracy.

Following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, His Majesty’s Government quickly announced sanctions against Russian state media organisations, targeting the Kremlin-funded TV-Novosti which owns RT (formerly Russia Today), and Rossiya Segodnya which controls the news agency Sputnik.

More broadly, we are countering Russian disinformation through our unprecedented package of sanctions against Russia: we have already targeted peddlers of Russian disinformation, including President Putin’s key political allies, regime spokespeople including Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov and Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, and Kremlin-backed disinformation agencies.

We have also taken specific action to ban Russian propaganda online, on social media platforms, and on app stores. Our regulator, Ofcom, oversees the obligation on all UK-based entities to prevent access to propaganda services provided under the umbrella of state owned entities Rossiya Segodnya and ANO TV Novosti.