Big Tech

No company should be above the law or beyond scrutiny. While many innovative technology firms make enormous contributions to our economy and society, businesses which benefit from our economy must also operate transparently, contribute fairly, and respect rules to protect consumers and ensure fair competition.

Dynamic innovation is key to driving the economy forwards, but it must be accompanied by effective regulation. Online giants in particular have a responsibility to do much more to keep everyone, especially children, safe online. That is why at the last election, the Liberal Democrats pledged to increase the Digital Services Tax on large technology companies from 2% to 6% of their annual profits, helping ensure that tech giants contribute their fair share, including, for example, that they contribute towards generating funds for a dedicated mental health professional in every school.

We are committed to holding Big Tech to account in Parliament and pushing the government to use the full range of powers available to keep people safe online. At the same time, we are extremely concerned about recent government actions under the Investigative Powers Act, compelling Apple to create an encryption backdoor. Weakening end-to-end encryption undermines the security of personal data and risks exposing UK users to malicious actors, while also potentially reducing services available to British citizens. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I continue to urge the government to protect both national security and individual privacy, and we are seeking urgent clarification from the Minister on how these actions affect safeguarding in the UK.