Social media algorithms should be disabled by default to protect people from “hateful, false and violent content”, the Irish and UK governments have been told.
An open letter signed by over 240 organisations has called on Taoiseach Simon Harris, UK prime minister Keir Starmer and Northern Ireland leaders Michelle O’Neill and Emma-Little Pengelly to take action following a spate of anti-immigration riots.
It states: “We know that people’s real lives are affected by what plays out online. Right now social media and video platforms recommend hateful, false and violent content for people to see.
“The business model prioritises emotionally manipulative content through algorithms that drive sharing and engagement. This distorts what people believe to be true, manipulates emotions and heightens tensions.
“As an immediate break-glass measure, to help stop the spread of hate, platforms must turn the toxic engagement-based recommender systems off by default and to act rapidly on harmful content on their services.
“People should decide what they want to see, not Big Tech’s algorithms.”
The Irish government is reportedly organising an online safety summit to set out plans to clamp down on social media companies.
The Hope and Courage Collective (H&CC) said the proposed summit is welcome but “does little right now to offer support and reassurance to people who are feeling unsafe”.
