Thank you to everyone who contacted me about holding Big Tech accountable for the fraud that takes place on their platforms.
I know the Government has emphasised that regular engagement with technology companies of all sizes is a fundamental part of its mission to deliver economic growth and transform our public services. I also support its commitment to free and fair competition and to effective consumer protection.
The Government recently published a new Fraud Strategy, backed by a £250 million investment between 2026 and 2029, aimed at combatting fraud against individuals and businesses. Measures include launching the new Online Crime Centre later this year to share data and collaborate on interventions that eliminate online fraud at scale, while a new Fraud Victims Charter, to launch next year, will set out a minimum standard of care across all support providers, to ensure consistent victim support.
There are mechanisms in the Online Safety Act that allow Ofcom to collect information from categorised services on the incidence and dissemination of illegal content, which would include fraudulent advertising content. Ofcom is required under the Act to publish annual transparency reports.
On 2 April, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, Kanishka Narayan MP, responded to a Written Parliamentary Question (WPQ) about holding Big Tech accountable:
“The Online Safety Act (OSA) lists certain fraud offences as ‘priority offences’, meaning regulated services must prevent users encountering fraudulent content, swiftly remove it if it appears, and mitigate and manage the risk of their services facilitating fraud. Ofcom, the independent regulator, has robust powers to act where services are failing in these responsibilities.
Measures under the OSA to specifically tackle fraudulent advertising are still being implemented. In the summer, Ofcom aim to publish a register of categorised services and to launch a consultation on additional duties for those designated as Category 1 or 2A to tackle paid-for fraudulent advertising.”
I have written to the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology to raise constituents’ concerns. I will continue to monitor the role tech companies play within our society and how we can protect vulnerable people from fraud.
Thank you once again to everyone who raised this with me.