Ministers ‘ignoring’ calls to protect elections from foreign meddling
Written by News on 02/07/2019
The government is ignoring calls to protect future elections from foreign interference online, MPs say.
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee said it was disappointed by the lack of focus on the issue in the online harms white paper, which aims to make tech giants more accountable for the content on their platforms under the observation of a regulator.
New legislation to address the matter should be introduced within six months, the committee said in its report.
It also demanded it be granted statutory veto powers for the appointment and dismissal of the chief executive of the new regulator.
“We’re calling on the government to bring in urgent legislation before the end of the year to protect our democracy against online electoral interference,” said committee chairman Damian Collins.
“We know that our electoral laws are not fit for purpose.
“Political campaigns are fought online, not through the letter box and our laws need to be brought up to date with the digital age.
“We’ve repeatedly highlighted threats to our electoral system and it’s essential that public confidence is restored.”
MPs want a new category for digital spending on political campaigns introduced and for information about all online political advertising material to be logged in a searchable public repository.
They said the government has failed to acknowledge the risks of foreign investment in elections, such as the use of digital payments, or the power of unpaid campaigns and Facebook groups.
(c) Sky News 2019: Ministers ‘ignoring’ calls to protect elections from foreign meddling
