A FIRST-of-its-kind study will examine the impact on ethnic minorities of moving key services online, which experts warn risks exacerbating racial inequality. 

The Protecting Minority Ethnic Communities Online (Prime) consortium, led by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, launched the study after winning £3.3 million of funding, it has been announced.

Prime was established after a range of key public services moved online including in health, housing and energy — a process accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The impact of the switch on certain groups such as elderly people has been looked at, but the impact on ethnic minorities also requires “significant investigation,” researchers said. 

The change could exacerbate existing inequalities and even lead to the creation of discriminatory processes, they warn. Ethnic minorities are also known to be disproportionately impacted by online harms, such as cyberbullying.

Lead researcher Dr Gina Netto said the project will “deepen understanding of the nature of online harm experienced by minority ethnic communities.”

“Together with our partner organisations, Prime will play an important role in tackling racial inequality and improving service provision for the UK’s increasingly diverse citizens,” she said. 

Another researcher working on the project, Professor Stephen McLaughlin, said: “This project is urgently needed to prevent further risk of discrimination and marginalisation, adding to societal division.”

Colin Lee, the chief executive of the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations Scotland, said: “The digital world that we live in today is very much open to online racial abuse and racial inequalities, which is something that needs to be deeply explored.”

The Prime consortium also includes researchers from the Open University and the universities of Cranfield, Glasgow and York, and will work closely with the National Research Centre on Privacy, Harm Reduction and Adversarial Influence online.