Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Baroness Nicky Morgan set out five guiding principles for the new Government’s digital policy in a speech at the second annual meeting of the Tech Talent Charter on 15 January 2020.
These principles provide the most public detail so far on how the new Government will move forward on its digital and tech agenda.
The five principles set out by the Government were, pro-technology government, sharing the benefits of technology widely and fairly, pro-innovation regulation, protecting the vulnerable and ensuring safety and security and a free and open Internet.
You can read the Secretary of State’s full remarks here.
Pro-technology government; The Government has put the role of technology at the heart of its plans to transform the economy and Government, with a specific emphasis in the speech on the role of technology will play to “transform public services and the relationship between Government and citizens”.
The Secretary of State also set out that the Government is passionate about the opportunities for digital trade and that the UK’s tech sector will be “at the heart of the government’s trade policy in the years ahead.”
Sharing the benefits of technology widely and fairly; digitisation and productivity need to be by-words for the Government’s plans to grow the UK economy and in particular their objectives to increase opportunities outside of London and the South East.
This point was recognised by the Secretary of State, however going further, highlighting infrastructure, skills and competitive digital markets as foundational to plans to level up all parts of the UK.
Underpinning the plans to share the benefits of technology widely is the need for skills. The additional three billion pounds invested by the Government to support the creation of a National Skills Fund is vital for our skills system to support people and employers to adapt and take advantages of the opportunity’s technology brings.
Pro-innovation regulation; this was a welcome addition to the Secretary of State’s contributions. The Secretary of State rightly highlighted that the UK is applauded for its regulatory initiatives such as sandboxing in both financial and information services.
However, while the UK is a world leader in some areas, innovation has been held back by bad regulatory habits and an outdated statute book. For example, the deployment of e-vehicles has been stalled by outdate regulations which have meant UK cities have missed out on the e-vehicle revolution.
Protecting the vulnerable and ensuring safety and security: Industry is fully committed to making sure people feel safe and secure in online spaces, particularly if we are all to fully realise the benefits of the digital economy. This will require efforts across society, combining technical tools with education and training to empower people to active, confident and informed digital citizens.
A free and open Internet: The commitment to a free and open Internet and pursuit of a multi-stakeholder model of governance is warmly welcome. Any future regulation must ensure these commitments are a core consideration, preventing any limitations on citizen’s freedom for expression. It is important that if the proposed regulatory regime were adopted internationally, for example by less-democratic regimes with a weaker role for civil society, that it could not be used as a way to suppress these fundamental rights.
