Disinformation is just one symptom of the authorities’ failure to regulate social media | Letter

By Guardian Staff · The Guardian Opinion

Responding to an editorial on Russian threats, Aneet Morar says companies that profit from spreading harmful content need to face real consequences Your editorial ( The Guardian view on Russian disinformation: a foreign threat that relies on UK complicity, 23 September ) is right that Andy Burnham’s warning about the Kremlin only tells half the story. I would go further: disinformation is one symptom of a wider failure to regulate the platforms that now function as critical national infrastructure. The harms are evident across a wide spectrum. We know that engagement-driven feeds are damaging young people’s mental health. The same amplification mechanics that carry foreign propaganda also accelerate far-right radicalisation at home, as your analysis of the disorder in Belfast and Southampton showed. The new generation of wearable devices, such as Meta’s smart glasses, makes recording people without their knowledge or consent a routine part of life. Continue reading...