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1693097

	registered interest
	date	01/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	Social Media: Disinformation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of which foreign governments have used organised social media disinformation and computational propaganda to manipulate public opinion in the past five years; and what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to combat the threat to democracy from the use of organised computational propaganda, including the employment of private companies by governments in delivering disinformation campaigns.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2953
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government takes the issue of information threats to national security seriously, including the risk posed by state-sponsored disinformation to democracy. It recognises that some foreign states attempt to manipulate information online to undermine the UK’s interests and weaken the integrity of our democratic institutions. The UK has a strong record of working closely with a wide range of different partners to tackle these risks.</p><p> </p><p>For example, our Defending Democracy Taskforce works to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference, by engaging across government and with Parliament, the UK’s intelligence community, the devolved administrations, local authorities, the private sector, and civil society.</p><p> </p><p>More broadly, the Online Safety Act will address a range of online manipulation tactics which pose a threat to UK democratic integrity. The Foreign Interference Offence has been added as a priority offence in the Act and will require companies to take action against a wide range of state-sponsored disinformation and state-linked interference targeted at the UK. Platforms will be required to take steps to remove content which amounts to foreign interference - including where it is produced by AI bots - if they become aware of it on their services.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, we are working in collaboration with international partners to tackle this shared challenge. The UK recently issued a joint statement alongside the US and Canada on our coordinated efforts to counter foreign state information manipulation and is engaging internationally to manage risks on AI-enabled foreign interference, including disinformation. Government is also working to increase cooperation between like-minded international partners and the tech industry to safeguard forthcoming elections from state manipulation, including through the AI Summit.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 15/03/2024 11:43:45 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1692932

	registered interest
	date	29/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what are their priorities for the (1) development, and (2) application, of artificial intelligence; and how do those priorities align with national strategies for technology and the economy.
	tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Wyre Forest
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2930
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2024 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The commitments made in the National AI Strategy and in the Science and Technology Framework remain central to DSIT’s approach to AI.</p><p> </p><p>We’re committed to delivering a pro-innovation and pro-safety approach to AI. As per the AI Regulation White Paper and the consultation response, we’ve set out how the Government is strengthening its global AI leadership and supporting regulators to deliver the framework.</p><p> </p><p>We’re also committed to increasing the UK’s capabilities in AI. We’re doing this by investing in skills and talent initiatives, delivering further investment in compute for AI, and prioritising AI adoption by establishing the AI Opportunity Forum.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 14/03/2024 11:56:44 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	1463 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Wyre Forest

1692594

	registered interest
	date	28/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	National Security Online Information Team
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, they provide to ensure that the work of the National Security Online Information Team is compliant with protection of the rights to freedom of expression and privacy; and whether they will publish that guidance.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Chakrabarti
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2835
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government firmly believes that people must be able to debate and discuss issues freely. Preserving individuals’ right to freedom of expression is therefore a key principle which underpin National Security and Online Information Team’s (NSOIT’s) work.</p><p>The NSOIT tackles online attempts to manipulate the information environment while respecting the right to free speech and privacy, by only monitoring themes and trends - not individuals. The team is focused on threats posed by foreign states as well as risks to election integrity.</p><p>NSOIT has policies and procedures in place, in accordance with all applicable legislation, to ensure that individuals are not monitored and their rights are respected. NSOIT has a privacy notice which sets out how data will be processed and this is regularly reviewed and updated. A copy will also be published on gov.uk shortly. However, the Government does not plan to publish its detailed compliance policy, as to do so would give malign actors, including hostile states, insights into NSOIT capabilities and specific areas of focus.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 13/03/2024 12:06:42 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	4579 label Biography information for Baroness Chakrabarti

1692275

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence: Finance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to invest in the development of technologies associated with the fourth industrial revolution.
	tabling member printed	Lord West of Spithead
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2820
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>The Science and Technology Framework sets out our plan for investing in 5 critical technologies: Artificial Intelligence (AI); engineering biology; future telecommunications semiconductors; and quantum technologies. These have been chosen because they draw on UK strengths and create opportunities for growth, while also supporting national security, and UK goals such as net zero. We have already committed significant investment to those technologies, including £2.5 billion for quantum technologies and £2 billion for semiconductors over the next decade; up to £1 billion through our Semiconductors Strategy; and £1.5 billion in compute infrastructure across the exascale and AI Research Resource (AIRR) programmes.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 12/03/2024 13:08:15 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	3834 label Biography information for Lord West of Spithead

1691848

	registered interest
	date	26/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	Pornography: Internet
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of the government of Australia’s response to the Roadmap for Age Verification for online pornographic material in August 2023, specifically the decision not to mandate age verification for the time being; and whether there are lessons for UK policy in this area.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kamall
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2738
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, publishers of pornographic content and user-to-user providers which allow pornography must use highly effective age verification or age estimation to ensure children are not normally able to encounter this content on their service. This reflects the serious risks that this type of content poses to children.</p><p>The Australian response to the Roadmap notes that age assurance technologies are still in development. The Act ensures that, as new solutions develop, these can be used to support the protection of children.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 11/03/2024 14:49:49 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	4909 label Biography information for Lord Kamall

1691856

	registered interest
	date	26/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	4G: Rural Areas
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that they are able to meet the targets of the Shared Rural Network programme to deliver 95 per cent 4G mobile coverage across the UK landmass by December 2025.
	tabling member printed	Lord Naseby
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2746
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>We continue to work with mobile network operators to ensure the Shared Rural Network is delivered on time and that the crucial coverage improvements are delivered across rural parts of the country. We are also taking steps to provide targeted support where appropriate through, for example, focused information packs and support with planning applications. The programme remains on track to deliver 95% UK 4G coverage by the end of 2025. In fact, 4G coverage now stands at 93% which is up from 91% since the Shared Rural Network was agreed in March 2020. This shows the programme is already delivering improved coverage across the UK.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 11/03/2024 13:47:36 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	1251 label Biography information for Lord Naseby

1691889

	registered interest
	date	26/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	Pornography: Internet
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many pornographic websites have been the subject of (1) regulatory inquiries, or (2) formal investigations by the Information Commissioner’s Office, regarding their use of children’s personal data, on the basis that they are likely to be accessed by minors, since the Age Appropriate Design Code came into force in September 2020.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Benjamin
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2719
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>Following publication of its <a href="https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/childrens-information/childrens-code-guidance-and-resources/likely-to-be-accessed-by-children/" target="_blank">“Likely to be accessed by children&quot;</a> guidance, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has worked with Ofcom and engaged with two pornographic website companies (Aylo and XHamster).</p><p> </p><p>During the development of its guidance on the Age Appropriate Design Code, the ICO also worked with the content subscription service provider OnlyFans on how the code would impact their processing activities.</p><p> </p><p>The ICO proactively reviewed the Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for all three organisations, providing feedback where appropriate, and suggesting improvements in two cases. These were not formal investigations.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 11/03/2024 15:00:12 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	4167 label Biography information for Baroness Benjamin

1691298

	registered interest
	date	22/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence: Equality
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the developers of artificial intelligence technologies concerning how they verify the accuracy of their outputs, particularly with regard to racial and gender bias.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2716
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2024 answer text <p>Preventing bias and ensuring the accuracy of AI outputs are essential for building public trust in AI and encouraging its adoption and growth.</p><p> </p><p>The Government engaged with AI developers through our AI Regulation White Paper consultation and the response published this month, which details how we are protecting UK citizens from AI-related bias.</p><p> </p><p>The Government launched the Fairness Innovation Challenge, granting over £465,000 to support the development of socio-technical solutions to address bias in AI.</p><p> </p><p>We published the 'Introduction to AI Assurance', guide for AI developers and deployers, which outlines how techniques like bias audits can help verify AI systems.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 07/03/2024 13:06:25 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1690217

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	National Security Online Information Team
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the National Security Online Information Team does not target individuals in the course of its work.
	tabling member printed	Lord Clement-Jones
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2529
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2024 answer text <p>The National Security and Online Information Team (NSOIT) tackles online attempts to manipulate the information environment while respecting the right to free speech, by only monitoring themes and trends - not individuals. The team is focused on threats posed by foreign states as well as risks to election integrity. NSOIT has policies and procedures in place, in accordance with all applicable legislation, to ensure that individuals are not monitored. In the limited circumstances where personal data might be inadvertently processed as part of NSOIT’s work, for example where personal data is embedded in text and cannot be automatically anonymised from social media posts, the team complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR and Coordinated inauthentic behaviour.</p><p> </p><p>As is the case with a range of national and international public and academic bodies, DSIT has trusted flagger status with the major social media platforms. NSOIT will only flag a social media post where that is in line with ministerial approved remits, the post appears to be in breach of the platform’s terms of service and is likely to cause harm. Social media platforms decide whether or not content is a breach of their terms of service and, if so, what action to take.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose grouped question UIN HL2530 question first answered 04/03/2024 13:58:36 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	3396 label Biography information for Lord Clement-Jones

1690218

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	National Security Online Information Team: Social Media
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether the National Security Online Information Team has trusted flagger status with any social media companies.
	tabling member printed	Lord Clement-Jones
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2530
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2024 answer text <p>The National Security and Online Information Team (NSOIT) tackles online attempts to manipulate the information environment while respecting the right to free speech, by only monitoring themes and trends - not individuals. The team is focused on threats posed by foreign states as well as risks to election integrity. NSOIT has policies and procedures in place, in accordance with all applicable legislation, to ensure that individuals are not monitored. In the limited circumstances where personal data might be inadvertently processed as part of NSOIT’s work, for example where personal data is embedded in text and cannot be automatically anonymised from social media posts, the team complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR and Coordinated inauthentic behaviour.</p><p> </p><p>As is the case with a range of national and international public and academic bodies, DSIT has trusted flagger status with the major social media platforms. NSOIT will only flag a social media post where that is in line with ministerial approved remits, the post appears to be in breach of the platform’s terms of service and is likely to cause harm. Social media platforms decide whether or not content is a breach of their terms of service and, if so, what action to take.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose grouped question UIN HL2529 question first answered 04/03/2024 13:58:36 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	3396 label Biography information for Lord Clement-Jones