Do government efforts to tackle misinformation threaten free speech?
The UK government is establishing the National Centre for Information Defence, announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham in September 2026, to detect, attribute and disrupt hostile state disinformation and deepfakes, working with intelligence agencies, police and social media firms. It builds on the Online Safety Act 2023, now partially in force, which requires platforms to address illegal and harmful content with Ofcom enforcement. The policy focuses on foreign interference and public resilience but has drawn criticism that it risks chilling lawful domestic debate.
72 Opinions
The government wants to define any criticism of Islam or Islamist politics as Islamophobic or effectively blasphemous. Women standing up for women's rights have also been persecuted by the police acting on behalf of trans rights activists. The government is not to be trusted in ruling what is misinformation.
The Labour government want you to only hear what they are saying. Even though more than half the country oppose it and can see the truth
Newspeak for all seems only a blink away. After all who wants those irritating abstract thinkers questioning what’s good for them? Labsoc is here to punish thoughtcrimes. Possibly because most of them seem unable to think except in collective catchphrases.
It's the "efforts" that is the key word here. Two tier information control.
First camp says - don't tell lies or you will face consequences but we will still leave the lies public for the people to decide. Second camp says - the first camp ALWAYS lies, Trust Us to tell you the facts. Trust Us to decipher what you hear. Trust Us to explain why you heard that we told a lie. Trust Us to create a new medium for you to watch & listen to only. Trust Us even if something feels off. Trust Us because we are the ONLY ones who care about you. Trust Us. 🤨 Edited
Governments can't be allowed to decide what facts we are to believe, we have trouble enough with the guided MSM news being shoved down our throats, without banning other sources. It is snipping at the edges of free speech
Every government in history would love the ability to decide what is fact
Thats the entire point! Its never been about children, you can see how much they care by how they import dangerous migrant rapists. Did they even mention Lowe's rape investigation? no! have they made progress on their own? no! They only want to silence the opposition and it is blatantly obvious!
Yes. There is a reason that the most frightening words in the English language are “I am from the government and I am here to help.” The government is the largest and principal source of misinformation and always will be. I can choose not to buy the Guardian. I am compelled on pain of imprisonment to pay for the government and its BBC mouthpiece.
If people like Farage didn't lie so much would there be a need to combat it? Nobody is saying you can't say anything. A better way is to make public figures legally accountable for knowingly lying and spreading deliberate false information