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Online safety laws should be urgently updated to stop repeat of last year's riots, leaked Home Office review states
31 January 2025, 07:37 | Updated: 31 January 2025, 08:35
Britain's online safety laws should be urgently updated to stop a repeat of last year's riots, a leaked Home Office review has said.
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Two new offences must be made 'priority offences' to stop online rumour and disinformation from running riot, officials have concluded.
And it should look again at whether a new offence of harmful communications is needed to stop so-called 'legal but harmful' content - ruled out by the last Tory government over freedom of speech fears.
The suggestions come in a leaked review of the government's extremism strategy, seen by LBC.
Leaked documents say that the Home Office and Department for Science should work together to update the Online Safety Act as soon as possible.
The review calls for two new offences - riot and violent disorder - to be added as priority public order offences.
A public order offence is an act of violence, intimidation, or disorderly behaviour in a public space.
Updating that could mean that people who facilitate, encourage, or conspire to riot on social media could face tougher action.
The new laws, which kick in in March, will already force social media companies to do more to take down harmful content.
Social media networks said they were dealing with "high volumes" of illegal content and disinformation following the Southport attacks, which sparked widespread unrest across the country.
False claims that the attacker was Muslim and an asylum seeker spread on social media immediately afterwards, which had "malicious intent", the review says.
It adds: "Some platforms were used to spread hatred, provoke violence targeting racial and religious groups, and to encourage others to attack and set fire to mosques and asylum accommodation.
"There was a clear connection between online activity and violent disorder seen on UK streets."
One analyst said that calls for demonstrations targeting a local mosque were seen in private online groups "within two hours" of the vigil for victims - seen by potentially hundreds of thousands of people.
It concludes that "additional public order offences should be considered again for inclusion" - such as facilitating, encouraging or conspiring to commit such crimes.
DSIT are also urged to look at wider calls for a new "harmful communications offence".
LBC's been told that there's an ongoing in government about whether to bring forward changes to update the online safety laws now - or wait until they've kicked in in March and review them.
Ministers have distanced themselves from the wider findings of the review - which also called for an extended definition of extremism, and for police to record more hate crime incidents.
Downing Street said this week that they will keep the new laws "under review".
Asked by LBC whether the Prime Minister believes that the Online Safety Act goes far enough, the spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has always said that keeping children, keeping communities safe is always our number one priority."
He described the Online Safety Act as "strong new powers to compel platforms to remove illegal content.
It will also bring in new rules to protect children from content that is legal but not appropriate for them to be viewing, including violent content.
"So there will be strong new laws coming in but we always keep that under review".
The Home Office and DSIT declined to comment on leaks.
