Oliver Dowden published his plan for digital regulation this week.
Honestly, I think "plan" is generous. But at least the Government is starting to try to think about how the various pieces of regulation and legislation they've got going somehow come together and walk the tight rope of cracking down on big tech and being "unashamedly pro tech".
Long time readers of The Policy Download will know I've frequently fretted about the Government's forthcoming Digital Strategy, and thought that it will be nothing more than a patchwork of siloed and separate pieces of work. I still think that's the likely outcome, but this is a step in the right direction. I hope I'll be surprised.
So it's not tech in the way I tend to think of it, but I need to know when to eat my own hat. I have spent plenty of time ridiculing the Government's "Build Back Better" document, but they seem to actually be publishing things they promised to. Fair play: we can expect AI, Fintech, Emerging Tech and more to follow...
Wise (formerly TransferWise) went public via a direct listing this week. They've jumped over 20% since, which will no doubt do wonders for Rishi's heart as he pursues his ambition to make London the go-to destination for tech listings.
And as a treat, if you somehow haven't seen it, here's Mark Zuckerberg being an American. In all honesty, I find this video captivating and have probably watched it upwards of twenty times. Lockdown has been tough, okay.
The future of connected and automated mobility in the UK: Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (link) - opened 08/06/21, closing 16/07/21.
Shared Rural Network: Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (link) - opened 29/06/21, closing 27/07/21.
Proposals for the regulation of advertising on video-sharing platforms: Ofcom (link) - opened 26/05/21, closing 28/07/21.
UK Prospectus Regime: HM Treasury (link) - opened 01/07/21, closing 24/09/21.
Enterprise Management Incentives: HM Treasury (link) - opened 03/03/21.
Next week in Parliament
On Tuesday the DCMS Select Committee will take evidence on influencer culture (Julian - I'm available to discuss my life as an #OnlineHarms influencer, if you'd like). The Telecommunications (Security) Bill goes through Committee in the Lords. The Communications and Digital Committee will take evidence on freedom of expression online.
On Thursday the Telecommunications (Security) Bill has another outing in Committee Stage in the Lords.
My recent work
I spoke to POLITICO about the Online Safety Bill
I had the chance to speak to Annabelle Dickson of POLITICO and give some thoughts on the Online Safety Bill, and the extraordinary powers it proposes to give to the DCMS Secretary of State. You can read the full article here.
If you'd like a conversation about how either Taso Advisory or Greenstone Research can support you, please just get in touch.
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Ben is the director of Taso Advisory, a public policy consultancy, and Greenstone Research, a subscription research service. Before this, Ben was an adviser to UK government ministers, including two ministers with responsibility for digital and the creative industries.
