public policy, technology and society – democracy in an age of change

The intersection of public policy, technology and society is complex. And yes, that’s something of an understatement. A mix of politics, law, design, architecture, usability,

The wellsprings of UK digital reform part 1 – the backstory

While there are some great pockets of work taking place to deliver better public services, the UK government’s overall attempts at technology-enabled, or “e-government” or

A timely disruption – open banking

2018 is the year “open banking” becomes a reality. Bank customers, including small and medium-sized businesses, can share their current account information securely with other third

the identity / data divide

Proving who someone is online and letting them access their personal data – such as their tax, welfare, pension or medical records – often get

… the end of biometric security?

This piece on “Imitating people’s speech patterns precisely could bring trouble” in the Economist caught my eye. It mentions a new technology that means any voice—including

better use of data

I’ve been using the following simplified slides in briefings and discussions about “data sharing” and the “data sharing” provisions in the Digital Economy Bill. I thought

the Digital Economy Bill Part 5 – Data Sharing

Last week I gave my oral evidence to the public bill committee considering the Digital Economy Bill (PDF). I was invited in my capacity as co-chair

single sign-on and data sharing

I haven’t seen my old colleague Stefan Brands for a while, but most days I’ll find myself thinking of or mentioning his work – particularly given

Hype, Blockchain – and some Inconvenient Truths

For all the froth and hype about blockchain, you’d think it was going to bring about world peace, and simultaneously solve every problem known to

the problem with “data sharing”

The consultation closed recently on the “Better use of data in government” proposals. It has been some two years in the making and yet seems to

security, privacy and the Internet of Things

I had the pleasure recently of opening a Cambridge Union Society debate on the topic of “This House Fears The Large Scale Collection Of Personal

online citizen accounts

The idea of an online government account where we can see everything in one place has been kicking around since the late 1990s and the