National Security Online Information Team - Revision history

David: /* Staff */

2026-04-23T07:59:42Z

Staff

David: /* Staff */

2026-04-23T07:58:52Z

Staff

David at 07:57, 23 April 2026

2026-04-23T07:57:49Z

David at 07:57, 23 April 2026

2026-04-23T07:57:23Z

David at 10:07, 15 February 2026

2026-02-15T10:07:34Z

David at 10:36, 7 January 2026

2026-01-07T10:36:30Z

David at 12:59, 18 December 2025

2025-12-18T12:59:24Z

David: Created page with " :The NSOIT (National Security Online Information Team) sits within DSIT and: “leads the UK government’s operational response to information threats online, and ensure..."

2025-12-18T12:58:31Z

Created page with " :The NSOIT (National Security Online Information Team) sits within DSIT and: “leads the UK government’s operational response to information threats online, and ensure..."

New page

:The NSOIT (National Security Online Information Team) sits within [[DSIT]] and: “leads the UK government’s operational response to information threats online, and ensures the government takes necessary steps to identify and respond to acute misinformation (ie incorrect or misleading information) and disinformation (ie information which is deliberately created to cause harm) that pose risks to UK national security and public safety”. <ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-security-online-information-team-privacy-notice/national-security-online-information-team-privacy-notice National Security Online Information Team: privacy notice - GOV.UK]</ref>

==Notes==

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 | [[Beth Lambert]] || Former Head (as CDU in DCMS) || 2021–2022 || Operational leadership pre-rebranding<ref name="powerbase-cdu">Powerbase, [https://powerbase.info/index.php/Counter_Disinformation_Unit Counter Disinformation Unit] ''Powerbase'', accessed 14 February 2026.</ref>
 |}
 == See also ==

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 Publicly available information on staffing is limited due to security. The following table lists known personnel:
-```wiki
 {| class="wikitable sortable"
 |+ Known Staff of the National Security and Online Information Team
@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 | [[Beth Lambert]] || Former Head (as CDU in DCMS) || 2021–2022 || Operational leadership pre-rebranding<ref name="powerbase-cdu">Powerbase, [https://powerbase.info/index.php/Counter_Disinformation_Unit Counter Disinformation Unit] ''Powerbase'', accessed 14 February 2026.</ref>
 |}
 == See also ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|UK government unit combating online disinformation threats to national security}}
+{{short description|'''UK government unit combating alleged online disinformation threats to national security'''}}
 {{Infobox government agency
 | name                = National Security and Online Information Team
@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 | type                = Government unit
 | formation           = October 2023
-| predecessor         = [[counter Disinformation Cell]]/[[Counter Disinformation Unit]]
+| predecessor         = [[Counter Disinformation Cell]]/[[Counter Disinformation Unit]]
 | purpose             = Countering alleged disinformation and misinformation risks to UK national security
 | headquarters        = London, United Kingdom

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 | type                = Government unit
 | formation           = October 2023
-| predecessor         = [[Counter Disinformation Unit]]
+| predecessor         = [[counter Disinformation Cell]]/[[Counter Disinformation Unit]]
-| purpose             = Countering disinformation and misinformation risks to UK national security
+| purpose             = Countering alleged disinformation and misinformation risks to UK national security
 | headquarters        = London, United Kingdom
 | parent_organization = [[Department for Science, Innovation and Technology]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-:The NSOIT (National Security Online Information Team) sits within [[DSIT]] and: “leads the UK government’s operational response to information threats online, and ensures the government takes necessary steps to identify and respond to acute misinformation (ie incorrect or misleading information) and disinformation (ie information which is deliberately created to cause harm) that pose risks to UK national security and public safety”. <ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-security-online-information-team-privacy-notice/national-security-online-information-team-privacy-notice National Security Online Information Team: privacy notice - GOV.UK]</ref>
+The '''National Security and Online Information Team''' ('''NSOIT''') is a British government unit responsible for leading responses to online disinformation and misinformation threats to national security.<ref name="govuk-privacy">UK Government, [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-security-online-information-team-privacy-notice/national-security-online-information-team-privacy-notice National Security Online Information Team: privacy notice] ''GOV.UK'', 16 April 2024.</ref> It operates within the [[Department for Science, Innovation and Technology]] and focuses on foreign state manipulation, electoral interference, and AI-generated deepfakes.<ref name="bhatti-answer">Saqib Bhatti, [https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-03-11/17886 Written Answer to Dawn Butler MP] ''UK Parliament'', 14 March 2024.</ref> The team analyzes publicly available online information to identify and mitigate risks to public safety and democratic processes.<ref name="govuk-privacy" />
-According to a Written Answer to [[Dawn Butler]] MP from [[Saqib Bhatti]] on 14 March 2024:
+Established in October 2023 as a rebranding of the [[Counter Disinformation Unit]], NSOIT continues monitoring social media and coordinating with platforms to address harmful content.<ref name="bhatti-answer" /> Its activities include responses to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine conflict, and UK riots, often in collaboration with the UK Intelligence Community.<ref name="telegraph-riots">The Telegraph, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/08/07/secretive-government-agency-brought-monitor-riots Secretive government agency brought in to monitor social media amid riots] ''The Telegraph'', 7 August 2024.</ref> The unit's connections to intelligence services enable access to classified insights, facilitating whole-of-government approaches to hybrid threats.<ref name="ico-report">Information Commissioner's Office, [https://ico.org.uk/media2/ygomwbsa/ic-374825-d9k4.pdf ICO Report on DSIT and NSOIT] ''Information Commissioner's Office'', accessed 14 February 2026.</ref>
-:In October 2023 the [[Counter Disinformation Unit]] became the [[National Security and Online Information Team]] (NSOIT). The name more accurately reflects the team’s revised remit and function, which is to tackle the greatest national security risks facing the UK from mis and disinformation, specifically looking at threats posed by foreign states, risks to elections and from the use of AI and deepfakes. This revised remit is kept under regular review. It would not be appropriate to publicly comment on NSOIT’s funding levels, as doing so would give malign actors insight into the scale of the Government’s capabilities in this area. Nevertheless, DSIT continues to account to parliament for the use of public funds in relation to the NSOIT and other teams within the department.<ref>https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-03-11/17886</ref>
+NSOIT's operations emphasize protecting freedom of expression, with prohibitions on referring journalists' or politicians' content to platforms.<ref name="parallel-parl">Parallel Parliament, [https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/question/35204/national-security-online-information-team National Security Online Information Team] ''Parallel Parliament'', 3 March 2025.</ref> However, its secretive practices have drawn criticism for potential overreach and lack of oversight.<ref name="bbw-briefing">Big Brother Watch, [https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/BigBrotherWatch-Briefing-on-the-National-Security-Online-Information-Team.pdf Briefing note for parliamentarians on disinformation and the Government's National Security Online Information Team, November 2024] ''Big Brother Watch'', November 2024.</ref> In contexts involving the Zionist regime, the unit's monitoring could address disinformation campaigns that discriminate against protected anti-Zionist beliefs, as affirmed in Miller vs University of Bristol (2024).<ref name="parallel-parl" />
-==Resources==
-*https://ico.org.uk/media2/ygomwbsa/ic-374825-d9k4.pdf
+== Origins ==
-==Notes==
+The [[National Security and Online Information Team]] evolved from a disinformation policy team formed in March 2018 following the Salisbury poisonings.<ref name="storey-witness">Susannah Storey, [https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/21170001/INQ000474309.pdf Witness Statement of Susannah Storey to the Covid Enquiry] ''UK Covid-19 Inquiry'', January 2025.</ref> This team developed into the [[Counter Disinformation Unit]] in March 2019.<ref name="storey-witness" /> The rebranding to NSOIT in October 2023 reflected an expanded focus on national security threats, including foreign states and AI technologies.<ref name="bhatti-answer" />