Sadiq Khan demands stronger action on social media ‘outrage economy’

Mayor says disinformation, including about London crime rates, is ‘eating away at basic bonds of trust’

Sadiq Khan has called on ministers to take significantly stronger action against social media companies that spread disinformation after a study showed a surge in hostile accounts posting falsehoods about London’s crime rates and integration.

In an intervention on what he called “the outrage economy”, the London mayor, who has also written to social media firms demanding change, said a lack of action could prompt more domestic terrorism by people who believe conspiracy theories they find online.