The Short:
The United Kingdom’s Minister for Digital Policy, Matthew Hancock, has publicly requested social media giants Facebook and Twitter to hand over evidence related to Russian interference in the UK’s EU (Brexit) referendum in 2016.
The Long:
As the United States continues to grapple with the fallout of alleged Russian operatives making full use of social media to spread misinformation, the issue has now spread across the Atlantic.
The UK seems to be ready to take the next steps, and all the appropriate signals are coming from the top echelons of the UK government, with British Prime Minister Theresa May directly addressing the growing discontent about Russian meddling early this month.
In a scathing remark during an address at the Lord Mayor’s banquet, she said: “I have a very simple message for Russia. We know what you are doing. And you will not succeed. Because you underestimate the resilience of our democracies, the enduring attraction of free and open societies, and the commitment of western nations to the alliances that bind us. The UK will do what is necessary to protect ourselves, and work with our allies to do likewise.”
More recently, during a debate in the House of Commons on cyber attacks on the UK, Minister Hancock referred to this request for information from Facebook and Twitter.
The nation’s election watchdog has already initiated investigations into whether there was, in fact, any Russian interference in Brexit, with the Electoral Commission telling The Times that it was “in dialogue” with Facebook and Twitter as a result of similar allegations across the pond regarding the U.S. presidential election.
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