The Notebook: Starmer leading like a civil servant isn’t working Opinion And it is leading to dangerous, unwanted and undemocratic policymaking – like the introduction of bank spying powers, writes Silkie Carlo This weekend marked 100 days of the new Labour government – a period of deliberate doom and gloom rather than honeymoon. As I wrote in my Notebook for this paper upon his election, Sir [...]
The Notebook: Labour is charting a dangerous course on free speech Labour's proposed expansion of the Online Safety Act is a troubling step for free speech, writes Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo.
UK riots: Digital authoritarianism is not the answer to far-right violence Opinion Far-right thugs deserve to see justice, but Westminster must not use the riots to push through dystopian digital measures, writes Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch Our response to the riots risks digital dystopia These have been dark days for Britain. The shocking scenes of violence and racism following the Southport stabbings are unforgettable. [...]
The Notebook: Freedom of speech at risk under Labour’s online safety plans July 8, 2024 Silkie Carlo tells us what to expect from Labour's online safety plans - and how they might put personal rights at risk.
The Notebook: The Orwellian use of facial recognition June 10, 2024 Where the City’s movers and shakers have their say. Today, Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, takes the pen to talk about the increasing use of CCTV surveillance, wasteful policing in Croydon and a weirdly wonderful production of Cabaret Dystopian nightmares in Orwell’s 1984 now look eerily prophetic This weekend marked 75 years since [...]
The Notebook: Facial recognition CCTV is Orwellian. But it also doesn’t work May 13, 2024 Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, takes the pen to talk CCTV surveillance, bank spying powers, and the power of dog adoption.
The Notebook: How bank spying powers are being snuck into government bills March 25, 2024 Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, takes the pen to talk about how new spying powers are being snuck into government bills.
DEBATE: Is criticism of the government plan for digital ID cards justified? September 7, 2020 Is criticism of the government plan to spend money on digital ID cards justified? Silkie Carlo, director of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, says YES. When Theresa May scrapped Blairite plans for national ID cards in 2010, she warned that they would “increase state control over law abiding people”. And yet, this is what the Johnson [...]
DEBATE: Should we be worried about the privacy issues around the contact tracing app? June 8, 2020 Should we be worried about the security and privacy issues around the government’s contact tracing app? Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, says YES. The government’s contact tracing strategy raises many questions and offers few answers. Why does the UK government, unlike other democracies, want a state-controlled contact tracing app? Why do they want [...]
Debate: Are the emergency powers granted to the government in the Coronavirus Bill too long-lasting? March 26, 2020 Yesterday, the Lords passed the Coronavirus Bill, which gives the government never-before-seen powers in a bid to halt the outbreak. However, they will only be reviewed every six months. City A.M. asks whether this is too long-lasting. Yes, says Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch Emergency powers are needed – but with an emergency [...]
