This petition was submitted during the 2017-2019 parliament
Rejected petition Launch an enquiry into social media in UK elections/referendums in 2016-17
I ask the government to
launch an enquiry into the use of social media in the 2016 referendum and 2017 general election to determine:
(a) Was it legal?
(b) If not, does it suggest that the results of these processes are no longer ‘safe’?
(c) What changes in the law might be needed?
More details
We value the integrity of our criminal law so much that we treat any attempt to interfere with the course of justice, by evidence-tampering or a number of other acts, as itself a criminal offence. Since the integrity of our whole political system depends on proper process of our democratic procedures in elections and referendums, I suggest that these too should be equally legally protected. Dealing with the abuse of social media in elections and referendums is a step in this direction.
This petition was rejected
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s about something that the UK Government or Parliament is not directly responsible for.
We can’t accept petitions asking the Government to investigate whether something is illegal. The UK Parliament and Government are not responsible for investigating whether the law has been broken.
You could start a new petition about something the UK Parliament and Government are responsible for. For example, you could start a new petition asking for an inquiry into whether current law around election advertising is appropriate for social media and expected changes to the digital environment.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.