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<p>The Government takes the issue of information threats to national security seriously,
and the UK has a strong record of working closely with a wide range of different stakeholders
to tackle these risks.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the invaluable role of a free and
independent press in providing accurate and reliable information. Government works
to complement the efforts of our independent press sector through a number of initiatives
to counter disinformation.</p><p> </p><p>For example, in 2022 the Government provided
the BBC World Service with £4.1m emergency funding to help it to continue to bring
independent, impartial and accurate news to people in Ukraine and Russia and counter
disinformation in the face of increased propaganda from the Russian state. The Government
has also directly sanctioned Russia-backed state media organisations who spread disinformation,
helping to prevent the most prolific and harmful sources of disinformation from spreading
propaganda to UK audiences online.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also recently
passed the Online Safety Act (OSA), which includes the Foreign Interference Offence
as a priority offence. This will require social media companies to take action against
a wide range of state-sponsored disinformation and interference targeted at the UK.
Ofcom will produce guidance for providers on how they should fulfil these duties.
The consultation for this guidance closed in March 2024 and Ofcom is currently finalising
these codes, due to come into force at the end of 2024.</p>
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