UK MPs slam Facebook for data abuse, call for social media regulator

British Members of Parliament have called for a regulator to police content on social media sites, financed by a new levy on tech companies, and an inquiry into the effect of disinformation on past electoral contests. Concluding an 18-month long investigation into “fake news”, disinformation and political campaigns, the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee also accused Facebook of “intentionally and knowingly” violating data privacy laws and said it should be the subject of a probe by the competition and data watchdogs. Damian Collins, the Conservative MP who chairs the committee, warned that democracy was at risk because of targeted disinformation campaigns from unidentifiable sources, delivered through social media platforms.