As a software developer by profession, I am very aware of the risks that both bad laws - like the idea currently being floated to ban VPNs in law - and Big Tech, pose to our civil liberties.
I oppose the government’s plan to force YouTube to promote the main British TV channels regardless of what people are interested in watching. Independent media is essential - especially for topics and angles the BBC is reluctant to cover - and YouTube is a big part of that today.
Protecting children online is of course important, but needs careful thought, and if elected I would lend my tech expertise to trying to get the balance right between protecting children online and civil liberties.
Online petitions
Parliament’s Petitions website is great, but it doesn’t really work well for local and niche issues, and has barely changed for a decade. This is a good example of how, in general, the government is clueless about technology and underinvests in new technology at multiple levels. I would seek to develop something better, leaning on my software development experience - working with the government if possible, or independently with civic-tech developers if necessary. Allowing petitions to propose not just policies, but administrative and technical innovations, could unleash a wellspring of innovation - and new British civic startups and nonprofits.
Furthermore, the government almost never changes its mind based on petitions, as an independent analysis has shown. This illustrates a big problem with politics in this country, where politicians are embarrassed to change their views even in the face of overwhelming evidence, for fear of looking bad - either for doing a U-turn, or for enacting the wrong policy in the first place. It’s actually much more important to do the right thing for the British people than to “look good”. I pledge to update my views when the available evidence changes - no more and no less than the evidence warrants. As the saying goes, “When the facts change, I change my mind - what do you do, sir?”