John Nicolson is the MP for Ochil & South Perthshire and the SNP’s shadow culture secretary. Nicolson is a former journalist, best known in politics for his role on the digital, culture, media and sport committee, often going viral on social media with his tough line of questioning and no-nonsense approach. In this week’s edition…
Whilst many people sigh when Christmas decorations go up in November, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg appeared to suggest that Christmas goes on until February 2nd today in the Commons. Responding to Thangam Debbonaire’s question on whether the online harms bill would be brought to parliament before Christmas, Rees-Mogg went on a colourful tangent…
Secretary of state for culture Nadine Dorries has warned social media platforms that the government’s online safety bill will make them “accountable” for their actions. Speaking to the draft online safety bill parliamentary committee, Dorries said: “I think people like Mark Zuckerberger [sic] and Nick Clegg and others who are wanting to take off into…
Journalists and democracy watchdogs have warned the online safety bill joint committee that “creating state-backed censorship of lawful communications” could prevent “democracy taking its course”. Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, said: “There’s a reason reinventing the wheel with freedom of expression is a very dangerous thing, and detaching from the rule of law is a very dangerous…
In the age of the internet, can you ever really trust anything you read? It turns out most Britons don’t, as over half of the UK adult population believe at least one conspiracy theory according to YouGov. But why is the public turning away from reality? “What conspiracy theories do is they provide information and…
There’s a good chance if you’re on social media that you’ve come across an internet bot. These bots take the guise of normal accounts but are either generated or adapted by computers to post out a vast amount of content. “There’s a kind of spectrum, if you like,” explains Helen Margetts, director of the Public…
Social media platforms should have a compulsory ID requirement to prevent trolling, according to influencer and activist Amy Hart. The former Love Island contestant was giving evidence to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s inquiry on influence culture. Hart told the committee that there is currently “nothing you can really do” to stop trolling…
Speaking to the parliamentary home affairs committee, former professional footballers Anton Ferdinand and Marvin Sordell discussed racist abuse received online. Ferdinand admitted that he had become used to it, saying: “I’m better prepared for it. It still hurts me. It still cuts me. But I’m better prepared.” Sordell said that “it is clear to see”…
