Category: democracy
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Rebooting digital government
I’ve written this article for Computer Weekly. It outlines some of what my new book, Fracture. The collision between technology and democracy—and how we fix it, is all about. Nearly 30 years after the UK’s first pan-government website, what has been achieved in digital government—and how do we make it better? Rebooting digital government to…
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Fracture is now published
My new book, Fracture | The collision between technology and democracy—and how we fix it, has now been published. It’s available from Amazon around the world, and should be available soon to order from your favourite local bookshop in the UK and USA. UK direct Amazon link US direct Amazon link Fracture is available in…
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Fracture—the Foreword
My new book Fracture is being published early 2023. Here’s an early taste—the Foreword as it currently stands (the final edition may differ). Update 7 February 2023: Fracture has now been published. Foreword The Internet provides the means by which citizens can have a direct role in shaping policies and influencing the decisions that affect…
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Toxic by design
Digital, data, and technology (DDaT) are increasingly being misused to create a 24×7 surveillance society, behavioural manipulation and, in some countries, institutional discrimination and subjugation. This surveillance increasingly underpins private sector revenue and state control, online and offline. All too often, it can seem like there’s little to distinguish between governments and global businesses as they indulge in…
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‘Fracture’—an overview
I thought I’d add a bit more detail about my next book exploring the interplay of politics, policymaking, and digital, data and technology. Right now, it’s in three sections: ‘The backstory’, ‘Digital trends’, and ‘Policy and technology’, plus a concluding summary with some ideas for action. Here’s a brief insight into the current scope and…
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The week in review
Highlights of a few random articles that caught my eye this week … Apple and ID As expected, Apple’s letting users store their driving licences and state IDs in Apple Wallet. It’s a significant improvement over current paper and plastic documents, providing users with more choice and control over what information they release. For example,…
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‘Fracture’—politics and technology in the digital age
I’ve finally got back to working on my book ‘Fracture’ (working title). It’s about the intersection of politics, policymaking and technology — subjects I’ve worked on and written about in blog posts, books and related articles over the past decades. It will also include previously unpublished material from my work with governments, civil society and…
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Digital Government—stuck in a groove?
For the past ~27 years, UK digital government efforts have largely focused on the left column of this table, occasionally drifting into ‘Rationalisation’ — and then, as teams change and drift away and memory fades, repeating the cycle. It was Ed Vaizey MP, the former minister at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), who commented nearly 5…