The Notebook: Freedom of speech at risk under Labour’s online safety plans

Where the City’s movers and shakers have their say. Today, Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, takes the pen to tell us what to expect from Labour’s online safety plans – and how it may put personal rights at risk

What to expect from Labour’s tech safety plans

I’ve been tracking Labour’s policies on technology and rights – here are three things to expect from the new government in the very near future.

First, Labour committed to expand the Online Safety Act. Whilst everyone wants online predators and criminals to be prosecuted, the version of the Act that Labour favoured was a censor’s charter, specifically enabling censorship of lawful speech. The Labour manifesto promised to “build on the Online Safety Act, bringing forward provisions as quickly as possible” for social media “safety”. Given Labour’s previous statements, we may see online censorship powers that span mental health, misinformation and antivax content – which could pose profound risks to freedom of speech.

Second, an AI Bill is in the pipeline although no one knows what is in it. However, AI will be one of the most important issues of this government, with the next five years likely to be pivotal for the most transformational technology of our lifetimes. Whether that’s a positive or frankly terrifying transformation depends heavily on laws like this. With the Conservatives having left live facial recognition surveillance expansion plans on the Home Office’s desk, Labour will be confronted with choices between techno-dystopia and civil liberties very quickly.

Third, the Labour government will establish a “national data library”. The plan is light on detail but likely refers to a bulk data harvest of NHS and other departmental information about us put in one big pot to fuel “research” (aka private companies’ AI training) – risky, in an age of hacking. The Tony Blair Institute’s fingerprints may be on this – but let’s hope they learn from Blair’s fatal mistake of underestimating (think ID cards) how much the British public values privacy.

At your service

After a campaign oriented on “change”, Sir Keir Starmer’s speech on the steps on 10 Downing Street last week focused strongly on public service. 

The former director of public prosecutions opened his first speech as Prime Minister promising “the return of politics to public service”. In fact, he spoke of service eight times in the speech and promised a “government of service in the mission of national renewal.”

Whilst many find the focus on public duty a refreshing shift from the bombast of Boris Johnson and the ideological blast of Liz Truss’ premiership, it also makes the new Prime Minister’s promised change slightly hard to read. Sir Keir is not a civil servant – but if he is determined to lead in this way, he will become a vassal for the forces around him. The problem is that, once the election is over, those forces are not simply the public…

Human rights at risk

With Reform’s anti-migrant, anti-human rights stance peeling 4m votes from mostly Conservative constituencies and becoming the third most voted for party, some candidates for Conservative leadership will swerve sharply right and strengthen pledges to repeal the Human Rights Act and leave the European Convention on Human Rights. It’s a perilous time for the Convention, which is Churchill’s post-War legacy and a commitment to protect Europeans’ fundamental rights to life, freedom from torture, fair trials, privacy and free speech.

A recommendation: Princess Diana Exhibition

Talking of public service, the Princess Diana Photography Exhibition at Dockside Vaults really is not to be missed – even for republicans like me. Diana, quite deliberately, defied all the rules and her service to humanity touched people across the world. She had a natural warmth and authority that captured people’s hearts – as we know well, the privilege of birth can never manufacture that. Walk through 75 lifesize photos sensitively telling the story of Diana’s life from a young nursery worker to a transformational force in the Royal family, glam mum, style icon and above all, dedicated humanitarian. It is a moving tribute to one of the greatest Englishwomen in history.