Disinformation and misinformation must remain the primary focus of Ofcom’s Committee

Ofcom, the regulator for online safety, has announced the name of its much-delayed committee on disinformation and misinformation.

Until today, Ofcom has publicly referred to the committee, mandated by the Online Safety Act, as the Advisory Committee on Disinformation and Misinformation. But these words have fallen out of favour in Washington under the Trump administration.

Disappointing

The Committee’s new name - the Online Information Advisory Committee - is bland, vague and disappointing.

The football results are online information - so are recipes for cupcakes. This committee is supposed to focus specifically on the harm done by disinformation and misinformation, and removing those words from its name is not a promising start.

We hope this is not in response to changing political circumstances, and that it will not be reflected in the important work the committee needs to do.

We understand the sensitivities of Ofcom’s position, but it should not shirk its responsibilities.

Narrow scope

We also note that Ofcom has changed the terms of reference for the committee. It has narrowed the scope of its functions and duties to align strictly with what is defined in law under the Online Safety Act, which Full Fact has argued is insufficient to deal with the volume of misinformation that may be legal but still causes harm, such as health misinformation or false information that spread during the UK riots in summer 2024. The previous Terms of Reference, published in November 2024 when the committee was first announced, specified that it was “not limited” to what is in the Act. 

Misinformation, what misinformation?

The earlier version also mentioned the word “misinformation” nine times, whereas the updated version includes it only once, significantly reducing its emphasis.  

Previously, the committee was also required to explore “policy in relation to the programme of work on media we trust and value.”  This has now been removed. Instead, the committee is required to provide “practical advice” to Ofcom on protecting people against specific types of harm. 

A critical friend

Full Fact wants to collaborate with the new committee as a critical friend, but its formation has been delayed (we were previously assured that it would be up and running by the end of last year) and now its name has been watered down. The committee must ensure that the work it does meets the urgency of the moment. 

The online platforms which dominate our information environment are walking away from commitments they have previously made to protect their users from harm. The new committee clearly needs time and space to set up a useful programme of work, but it should hold the platforms to account, and be prepared to recommend regulatory and legislative change where necessary. The new terms of reference appear to make that less likely.