UK must protect information system as democratic infrastructure, report warns

Public is struggling to distinguish fact from fiction online

The UK should treat its information environment as a form of critical democratic infrastructure to help combat the growing threat of misinformation and AI-generated content, according to a new report.

The study, published by independent fact-checking organisation Full Fact and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, warns that people are finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish reliable information from false or misleading claims online.

The report, Strengthening the UK's Democratic Information Environment [pdf], argues that the systems through which citizens receive news and public information are becoming harder to trust, easier to manipulate and more fragmented in their oversight.

Public trust

A nationally representative poll commissioned by Full Fact and conducted by YouGov in March found widespread concern about the impact of emerging technologies on public trust.

Only 3% of respondents said they found it "very easy" to determine whether an online video was genuine or generated using AI.

Two-thirds of those surveyed believed the government was doing too little to tackle AI-generated misinformation, while nearly half said political misinformation had damaged their trust in institutions including Parliament and government.

The report comes amid growing concerns about the role of false information during elections and major public events.

In May, Full Fact investigated social media posts that falsely claimed a newly elected Reform UK councillor did not exist.

One post on the social media platform X was viewed more than 380,000 times before being challenged.

Researchers said misleading political content was now being created and amplified by a wide range of actors, including politicians, commentators, automated bot accounts, influencer networks and anonymous online users.

They warned that similar narratives frequently appear simultaneously across multiple platforms, making it harder to identify their origins and more difficult for fact-checkers to issue corrections that reach all affected audiences.

Fragmented system of responsibility

The report points to concerns over what it describes as a fragmented system of responsibility for protecting the public information space.

Duties relating to elections, online safety, platform accountability and crisis communications are currently spread across several organisations, it says, often with overlapping or unclear responsibilities.

According to the report, no single institution is currently responsible for ensuring accurate public-interest information remains visible and trusted during periods of heightened uncertainty.

Full Fact's chief executive said the UK's information ecosystem needed stronger coordination to cope with increasingly complex challenges posed by misinformation and rapidly evolving technologies.

Recommendations

The report sets out four key recommendations.

First, it calls for measures to secure the information ecosystem by ensuring reliable information can circulate quickly and remain visible during elections, emergencies and other high-pressure situations.

Second, it recommends strengthening public resilience through improved critical thinking skills and systems that make trustworthy information easier to identify.

Third, it urges lawmakers to modernise legal frameworks and institutional arrangements so authorities can respond more quickly and coherently when misinformation threatens public understanding.

Finally, it calls for greater transparency and accountability from technology companies, including social media platforms, search engines and AI developers, focusing on how their systems rank, promote and present information to users.

"The task now is to build institutions and safeguards capable of functioning in a faster, more fragmented and more automated public sphere," said Chris Morris, Chief Executive of Full Fact.

"The decisions taken now will shape whether future elections are defined by confusion and mistrust, or by clarity, confidence and democratic resilience. Building a better information environment is no longer an abstract ambition. It is a democratic necessity."