The recent riots across the UK have been linked to false information spread by a website called Channel3Now. The website falsely named a 17-year-old as the suspect in the Southport attack, leading to widespread unrest and violence targeting mosques and Muslim communities. The BBC has investigated Channel3Now and found that it is a commercial operation focused on aggregating crime news to generate income on social media.
The website’s false claims were shared by individuals from different parts of the world, including a dad in Lahore, an amateur hockey player in Nova Scotia, and a man named Kevin from Houston, Texas. The BBC tracked down some of the people linked to Channel3Now and found that they are real individuals, but their involvement in the false article remains unclear.
Kevin, who claims to be part of Channel3Now’s management, defended the website’s actions as unintentional errors. He explained that the site employs over 30 people in the US, UK, Pakistan, and India, recruited from freelancer sites. Despite accusations of Russian links due to old videos on a YouTube channel, Kevin denied any affiliation with the Russian state.
The false information spread by Channel3Now was amplified by pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and conspiracy theory influencers, leading to millions of views and widespread dissemination of misinformation. Social media platforms like X have been criticized for allowing the spread of false information, with some accounts earning revenue from ads based on the number of views.
Calls for social media companies to take action against misinformation have been growing, but current legislation like the UK’s Online Safety Bill does not specifically address disinformation. The responsibility to combat false information lies with the platforms themselves, as tracking down individuals involved in spreading misinformation can be challenging, especially when they are based abroad. X has not responded to the BBC’s request for comment on the matter.
