The government is committed to a safer online world and we urge providers to counter the spread of mis- and disinformation on their services. The government recognises that online misinformation has the potential to cause real-world impacts and undermine public trust in the information environment. However, tackling this issue is extremely complicated. We need to be honest that you cannot eliminate all harmful content online and a balance must be found with freedom of expression – a critical fundamental right. The OSA takes a proportionate approach by focusing on the worst kinds of mis- and disinformation – that which is illegal or harmful to children. The OSA requires services to undertake risk assessments for illegal content, which includes illegal mis- and disinformation and risks posed by algorithms. Services then need to take effective steps to mitigate identified risks. Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation. The OSA updated Ofcom’s media literacy duties. The government also notes that most of the major social media platforms already employ fact-checking mechanisms and where content is found to be false, providers will often algorithmically deprioritise it—reducing its visibility in users’ feeds—to limit its spread. The government supports efforts that build on these existing approaches, provided they are proportionate, transparent, and designed with regard for the importance of users’ right to lawful free expression.