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Campaign regulation is needed now before all trust is gone

The need to tighten the rules around how political parties and campaigns target voters online is a hot topic right now. Last week’s fines against Vote Leave for overspending (and breaching other key rules) in...

Posted 24 Jul 2018

From rule-breakers to foreign influencers, our democracy is under threat

The Electoral Commission has fined Vote Leave, the official pro-Brexit campaign, £61,000 for breaking electoral law during the 2016 EU referendum. This could be a game-changer. Its long-awaited report, published on Tuesday, states that there...

Posted 17 Jul 2018

The need to rein in the ‘online wild west’ is now being recognised

Following a series of scandals around fake news, foreign interference, and misuse of personal data, the Electoral Commission acknowledged earlier this week that “our democracy may be under threat”. The Commission is calling for urgent...

Posted 29 Jun 2018

Inside the funny world of ‘contempt of Parliament’

It’s a commonly established practice that Parliamentary select committees can ask witnesses to attend hearings and answer questions. This frequently happens during inquiries – like the culture committee’s current investigation into the role of fake...

Posted 08 Jun 2018

Finally, some action to reign in the ‘online wild west’ – but there’s much more to be done

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced a crackdown on the online political advertising industry following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Speaking at a hearing of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home...

Posted 06 Jun 2018

News and Comment

Campaign regulation is needed now before all trust is gone

From rule-breakers to foreign influencers, our democracy is under threat

The need to rein in the ‘online wild west’ is now being recognised

Inside the funny world of ‘contempt of Parliament’

Finally, some action to reign in the ‘online wild west’ – but there’s much more to be done

Three reasons there needs to be a crackdown on the ‘online wild west’

What Cambridge Analytica tells us about our out-dated campaign laws

Online campaigning is a wild west – it’s time we knew what parties were up to