Clean Up the Internet

With the #OnlineSafetyBill finally completing its passage through parliament this week, Clean Up The Internet's founder @Kinsellas shares some reflections on how we got here. cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/the-long-…

"Sorting out social media is one of the urgent challenges of our age, and plodding regulatory conservatism isn’t good enough." Spot on from @c_blackhurst in the @Independent independent.co.uk/news/business/…

Clean Up The Internet's founder, @Kinsellas, sets out why Ofcom's Illegal Content Codes are extremely disappointing - and why it makes no sense to delay user verification measures to tackle risks from fake and anonymous accounts cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/ofcom-pub…

Looking forward to taking part in UK Finance's Economic Crime Congress tomorrow! CUTI founder @Kinsellas will be chairing a session on "mitigating the harms online" with panellists from @Ofcom, @UKFtweets, @LloydsBank , and @lukejcr ukfinance.org.uk/events-trainin…

Important and welcome move from @peterkyle to quickly use his powers under the #OnlineSafetyAct to set ambitious new strategic priorities for @Ofcom. This is only a downpayment on what’s ultimately needed, but note the shifting language on laws ‘coming up short.’

Our submission to Ofcom's OSA transparency consultation sets out why Ofcom should require detailed and specific information from social media platforms re fake and anonymous accounts - and makes some suggestions for what that information should include: cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/our-submi…

We then make some suggestions for action that the Uk government, and Ofcom, should take to dismantle these "rocket boosters" in the future.

Last month, Home Secretary @YvetteCooperMP described Social Media as acting as a "rocket booster" for the far-right. In this report we analyse how these "rocket boosters" work, and the main design features of social media platforms which extremists make use of.

New report: "Rocket boosters for extremism - how social media fuelled recent far-right disorder in the UK, and some suggestions for how to prevent similar occurrences in the future" cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/rocket-bo…

Clean Up The Internet's founder @Kinsellas sets out how tackling harm from fake and anonymous social media accounts would contribute to several of the new Labour Government priority "missions" - and why failing to could create obstacles to delivery. cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/what-shou…

Brilliant guest post from @deathtospinach, author of "Keanu Reeves is not in love with you" and scourge of romance fraudsters - explaining why fraudsters love fake social media accounts, and why the platforms (and @ofcom) must do more to stop them cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/social-me…

Platforms aren’t doing any of these things themselves. Becky notes that under the OSA Ofcom has new powers to force them. But it's taking too long. And there's a risk of a "mind-boggling fail" in Ofcom's approach: leaving out dating sites

It's a real coup for us at @InternetClean to get a guest post from @deathtospinach You can imagine how long it took us to persuade her that we are legit.....

So Becky concludes by "removing my dainty satin glove and striking Ofcom, the government and social media platforms across their faces and saying “Sirs. I challenge you to pull your fingers out and take some of the burden of fraud away from the victims. And get a bloody move on.”

She points out that there are "some pretty straightforward steps which platforms could be taking to make it harder for people to use fake accounts to commit fraud" - including giving users options to verify their identity and ways to spot and avoid non-verified accounts

Becky sets out why fake accounts are such a key tool for scammers, allowing them to target and deceive their victims, and then disappear without a trace. And she asks: "why do social media platforms make it so damn easy for scammers to do whatever the hell they like?"

"Without sufficiently clear and robust guidance, we fear more of the same delay, obfuscation, platitudes and half-measures which have characterised platforms’ (in)action to date." @Kinsellas's recommendations for Ofcom's user verification guidance 👇 cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/our-submi…

We need to press on with ensuring that the Online Safety Act achieves its ambitions, to make the UK a safe online environment.