We must bring tech into every aspect of how we govern the country
The digital revolution has changed the way we work, stay in touch with friends and organise our lives. I want to unleash this power at the heart of government to improve services, enhance competition and keep people safe.
The digital economy has developed faster than government has been able to keep up, and in order to improve the co-ordination of public policy and better manage relationships between companies, regulators and the government itself, I want to create a single Digital Department. This will bring together teams that work across government on issues like online safety, digital competition, cyber security and data privacy.
We saw during the pandemic how using data effectively can enable the better delivery of public service, but this needs to be done in a way that is accountable and commands public trust. Our national defence, and support for our allies like Ukraine, also require the development of advanced cyber capabilities, and the power to respond effectively to co-ordinated.
Free markets only work if they are fair markets, and that’s why as Prime Minister I will bring forward the government’s proposed competition legislation which will empower the new Digital Markets Unit. This will help ensure fair dealing for smaller businesses that have to use services like Google, Amazon and Facebook to reach their customers. It will also create benefits for users by allowing greater choice of how and where they access different services. Improved competition can also reduce prices for consumers.
As part of accelerating the delivery of digital competition legislation we will also create a news bargaining code, similar to the law that has been passed by the Australian government. This will mean that major online platforms like Google and Facebook will be required to reach a deal with news publishers to compensate them for their content being freely distributed across those services. Should such agreements not be reached, they would be settled through independent arbitration. This scheme is already providing real financial benefits to news companies in Australia, where this new source of revenue is helping them to take on and retain more journalists.
Technology has changed the world creating huge benefits, but it has also allowed some major harms to proliferate. The problems of growing levels of online fraud, content promoting self-harm and suicide, the incitement of violence, racial hatred, and sexual harassment need to be addressed. I have already committed to support the government’s Online Safety Bill through its remaining parliamentary stages.
The new legislation will give the UK world leading safety standards on the internet. The regulator, Ofcom will have the power in law to set minimum safety standards for the services it regulates and take enforcement action against companies if they don’t comply.
While we want to make the companies more responsible for identifying and addressing illegal content on their platforms, it’s also important we do so with due regard for freedom of speech.