Connect with us

U.K News

UK Riots Show How Social Media Can Fuel Real-Life Harm. It’s Only Getting Worse

Published

on

riots
UK Riots | CNN Image

The recent widespread anti-immigrant riots in the United Kingdom, as well as the bogus viral claims that fuelled them, maybe the clearest, most direct example yet of how unregulated misinformation on social media can lead to real-world violence and harm.

Even after authorities identified a UK national as the perpetrator of a series of brutal stabbings targeting children, misleading allegations about the attacker’s identity and origins fuelled anti-immigrant sentiment and propelled far-right marches.

riots

Riots | Independant Image

UK Riots Show How Social Media Can Fuel Real-Life Harm. It’s Only Getting Worse

Extremism experts claimed the fraudulent claims spread widely, particularly on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Police have openly blamed misinformation for the recent violence in the country, with rioters throwing bricks at mosques, setting cars on fire, and chanting anti-Islamic slogans while clashing with officers in riot gear.

The recent events are far from the only example of the link between online misinformation and politically motivated violence: from the Rohingya genocide to the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, false and misleading claims have consistently been at the centre of high-profile incidents of political unrest and violence.

It is a pattern that has persisted despite years of appeals from governments and civil society groups for social media platforms to limit inflammatory, abusive remarks and promises by firms to do more.

A recent pullback from content filtering by certain key platforms, however, shows that the problem of misinformation-fueled violence may worsen before improving.

Governments and human rights organisations have contended that online platforms have resulted in massive societal costs for nearly a decade.

Critics of social media have often accused the sector of prioritizing corporate profits over users’ mental health or opening the door to foreign meddling without doing anything to protect the globe from these threats.

An economist may refer to them as negative externalities; they, like pollution, are byproducts of a profit-seeking firm that, if not handled, everyone else must either learn to live with or offset, generally at tremendous collective cost. The ramifications tend to be long-term and have large-scale, systemic implications.

This week, it’s difficult not to wonder if politically motivated violence based on nothing more than bad faith, evidence-free speculation has become a permanent fixture among social media’s various externalities and if we’re being asked to accept it as a consequence of living in a digitally connected world.

Many social media businesses have invested significantly in content moderation over the years. However, the industry’s recent track record suggests a gamble – or perhaps a hope – that the public will endure some additional pollution.

There are some signs of resistance. The new Digital Services Act in the European Union aims to hold social media corporations liable for propagating misinformation. In the United Kingdom, the Online Safety Act, which requires social media networks to remove illegal content, might go into effect as early as this year.

riots

UK Riots | Wired Image

Even stricter measures may be on the way due to the riots. “We’re going to have to look more broadly at social media after this disorder,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a video released to the public on Friday.

Individual offenders of internet wrongdoing, however, are already facing consequences. Jordan Parlour of Leeds, England, was sentenced to 20 months in prison on Friday after being found guilty of disseminating written material designed to incite racial hatred. The 28-year-old shared the material on Facebook.

The United States has lagged in platform regulation, owing to congressional dysfunction and legal and constitutional distinctions that give online platforms more freedom to control their own websites.

Still, policymakers took some action last month when the US Senate enacted the Kids Online Safety Act, which tries to tackle mental health risks for kids associated with social media.

riots

UK Riots | FT Image

UK Riots Show How Social Media Can Fuel Real-Life Harm. It’s Only Getting Worse

It may be tempting to dismiss social media’s role in the UK riots as a reflection of underlying political tendencies or the outcome of activity that would have occurred on other platforms regardless.

However, this detracts from the calculation that certain platforms appear to have made: at least some of the time, some level of misinformation-fueled violence is a reasonable cost for society to bear.

SOURCE | CNN

Continue Reading

U.K News

Returning to the UK a “No Go” for Prince Harry and Meghan

Published

on

Prince Harry and Meghan
Prince Harry and Meghan - Facebook Image

A source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claim that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle do not want to return permanently to the United Kingdom. Prince Harry will stay stationed in the United States, where he resides with his wife and their children.

It is known that worries about his and his family’s safety in the UK still exist.

According to the BBC, Prince Harry and Meghan are also unlikely to wish to abandon the business and charitable endeavours they developed while residing in the US.

There have been rumours of a disgruntled prince in California, who is getting close to turning forty and is unhappy with his life among the unrooted rich, trying to re-establish ties with his former life in the UK before he resigned as a working royal.

However, reliable sources have asserted a different story, stating that a return to royal life in the UK is not likely.

They contend that Prince Harry can visit the UK again and is just as capable of funding his charitable endeavours and charities from the US.

He flew back to the US after visiting the UK last week for his uncle’s memorial ceremony.

Claims that Prince Harry and Prince William had not talked throughout the church service in Norfolk, despite their growing frigid distance from one another, accounted for a large portion of the attention around the ceremony.

Prince Harry appeared to have maintained strong ties to the late Lord Robert Fellowes, who was Princess Diana’s brother-in-law on the Spencer side of the family.

The prince was spotted beside his Spencer family members during an Invictus Games service held at St. Paul’s Cathedral earlier this summer. Senior royals were not present at the event.

As soon as it was known that King Charles had cancer, the prince swiftly left for the UK, meeting briefly with his father in London.

There have also been excursions to London’s legal courts, when he fought the tabloids over allegations of illegal information collecting.

His security status in the UK is the subject of a continuing, intricate legal battle with the Home Office that has become a contentious topic in any conversation of a return.

The prince stated that he wouldn’t “bring my wife back to this country” in an interview with ITV because he was afraid for their safety.

But now that the pair has made such a public exit from royal life in the UK—in a Netflix movie and his book Spare—there will undoubtedly be speculative discussions about what will happen to them next.

Prince Harry and Meghan could reside anywhere in the virtual world if they didn’t have a royal duty; currently, that’s WFC (where they work from California).

In addition to their charitable endeavours, Meghan has teased a lifestyle cooking business on social media.

Though it is difficult to imagine they won’t want to stir up more than pots of jam given the impending US presidential election and the likelihood that topics they have brought up, including internet disinformation, would likely be debatable.

There have been other visits as well, most notably to Colombia, but they had so many of the hallmarks of a royal visit that it made one wonder whether they were actually travelling back to the world of the royals they were trying to leave behind.

There will be more inquiries about Prince Harry’s long-term future job as his 40th birthday draws near and there is a great deal of public curiosity.

Related News:

Prince Harry Opens Up About Emotional Distance in Royal Family

Prince Harry Opens Up About Emotional Distance in Royal Family

 

Continue Reading

U.K News

Uk Weather: Thunderstorm warning for England and East Wales

Published

on

Uk Weather Thunderstorm warning for England and East Wales

Uk Weather: Forecasters have issued warnings for thunderstorms and heavy showers for Sunday, protecting a significant portion of England and portions of eastern Wales from the potential for severe weather.

According to the Met Office, the phenomenon could cause “a small chance of flooding and disruption” in some regions. At four o’clock British Summer Time, the yellow warning that urges people to “be aware” goes into effect, encompassing significant portions of southern England, the Midlands, and the north.

Forecasters are warning that thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected to develop in the southern region of England on Sunday morning and move northward during the day.

In England, the warning applies to a region located in the middle of the nation, stretching from the Isle of Wight to Newcastle upon Tyne. The warning has been issued for the counties of Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen, and Wrexham, which are located in the eastern part of Wales.

The Metropolitan Office has warned of flooding and stated that “frequent lightning strikes and hail will be additional hazards” across the southern and central regions of England.

The BBC Weather predicts that the United Kingdom will see a swarm of warm and humid air coming from the south-eastern direction until Sunday. In addition, a series of intense rainstorms will sweep northward over the central spine of England and east Wales.

In the event that these thunderstorms do materialize, there is a possibility that they will be accompanied by intense, gusty winds, lightning, and heavy rain. However, it is also possible that they may be fairly sporadic.

In spite of the fact that pinpointing the precise areas of these showers is rather difficult, it is recommended that you remain current with the most recent prediction since it is subject to change, as stated by BBC weather.

There is a possibility that temperatures may reach as high as 27 degrees Celsius in some regions of south-eastern England as a result of the warmer and more humid air. Temperatures will range from the low to the middle of the 20s Celsius in many locations.

Source: BBC

 

Continue Reading

U.K News

UK Immigration Raids Increase Risks of Exploitation for Undocumented Migrants

Published

on

UK Immigration Raids Increase Risks of Exploitation for Undocumented Migrants

In a growing chorus of concern, over 80 charities, including prominent organizations like Care4Calais, City of Sanctuary UK, and Anti-Slavery International, have called on the Home Secretary to overhaul the UK’s immigration policies.

Their joint letter, coordinated by Migrant Voice, criticizes the government’s recent intensification of immigration raids and deportations, arguing that these measures are exacerbating the risks faced by undocumented migrants.

The letter, sent on Friday, highlights the increasing danger of exploitation faced by migrants who are driven further underground by aggressive enforcement actions.

These policies, they argue, not only fail to address the root causes of undocumented status but also make migrants more vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous employers and human trafficking gangs.

On August 27, the Home Office announced the results of a week-long “intensive operation” targeting illegal working, which saw 275 premises investigated and 135 issued notices for employing undocumented workers.

Despite the government’s assertion that such operations aim to protect vulnerable individuals, the raids led to the detention of 85 “illegal workers.”

The situation has been compounded by a recent record-breaking deportation event. Earlier this month, the government deported over 200 individuals to Brazil, marking the largest single deportation flight on record.

Since the Labour government came to power, there have been at least nine such deportation charter flights.

Nazek Ramadan, Director of Migrant Voice, criticized the government’s approach, stating, “Immigration raids and deportations do not address the fundamental issue that many individuals become undocumented through no fault of their own.

Errors in paperwork or poor communication from the Home Office can result in people losing their status overnight.”

Ramadan advocates for a policy shift towards regularisation, arguing that it would be more cost-effective and beneficial for the economy than current detention and deportation practices.

“Rather than penalising people for their undocumented status, the government should simplify the process for them to regain documented status,” Ramadan suggested.

Many undocumented individuals have established lives and families in the UK, having lived in the country for years or even decades.

The letter contends that regularisation would not only reduce the financial burden of detention and deportation but also boost economic growth by enabling these individuals to contribute more fully to the economy.

“The raids are very traumatising,” Ramadan added. “People who are already vulnerable are becoming more so, retreating further underground. This policy has been tried and failed by many governments.

Regularisation offers a better solution, allowing people to come out of the shadows and live normal lives.”

The Home Office has been contacted for comment on the letter’s allegations and the ongoing concerns raised by the charities.

Continue Reading

Download Our App

vornews app

Buy FUT Coins

comprar monedas FC 25

Volunteering at Soi Dog

Soi Dog

Trending