Committee publication · Correspondence · 25 February 2026
Correspondence with Ofcom relating to disinformation, dated 17 February and 03 February 2026
From: Foreign Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy
Summary
Ofcom responds to Foreign Affairs Committee concerns about foreign information manipulation and interference targeting the UK. Dame Melanie Dawes outlines existing provisions under the Online Safety Act requiring platforms to assess foreign interference risks, remove illegal content, train moderation teams, and resource appropriately. Ofcom acknowledges enforcement challenges due to the Foreign Interference Offence's high threshold, but commits to strengthening codes of practice later in 2026 and emphasises the need for coordinated response across government, intelligence services, and regulators.
Key findings
- Ofcom published detailed analysis on foreign interference risks on social media (Register of Risks, December 2024) and is working with the Electoral Commission to understand threats and countermeasures.
- Illegal Content Codes of Practice (in force since March 2025) require platforms to assess foreign interference risks, remove illegal content, train moderation teams, test algorithms, and operate paid verification schemes transparently.
- The Foreign Interference Offence threshold is high by design to balance free expression with tackling interference; Ofcom acknowledges Parliament sought this balance but is using existing powers to maximum effect.
- Ofcom will consult on additional safety measures in July 2026, including crisis protocols for high-risk platforms and algorithm design to exclude priority illegal content from user feeds.
- Foreign interference requires coordinated response from government, intelligence services, and regulators; Ofcom notes deep expertise lies outside the regulator and service providers, requiring established mechanisms to share and act on relevant information.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Dame Melanie Dawes, Dame Emily Thornberry MP, Ofcom, Electoral Commission, Lord Richard Allan, Online Information Advisory Committee
Notable line
“Hostile state interference in our democracy requires a coordinated response from a range of actors including Government, the intelligence services and regulators.”
Key Quotes
“This is an area that Ofcom takes extremely seriously and I welcome you raising these important questions.”
“… platforms should: • assess the risk of foreign interference occurring on their platforms.”
“… the requirement to meet the three conditions in the Foreign Interference Offence is a high bar. We understand that Parliament sought to ensure a balance between tackling foreign interference, and the importance of free expression and legitimate influence activity.”
“Hostile state interference in our democracy requires a coordinated response from a range of actors including Government, the intelligence services and regulators.”
“… the deep expertise in identifying and combatting foreign interference online will always lie outside Ofcom or the service providers.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗