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In these divided times, a new consensus is emerging around our broken election laws

Fresh off the back of our call for Parliament to take action on Britain’s analogue-age campaign rules – and the launch of our petition for an end to ‘dark ads’ – commentators and public figures...

Posted 31 Jul 2018

Why it’s time to shine a light on ‘dark ads’ online

Following a request by the Culture Media and Sport committee, Facebook has revealed the EU referendum adverts paid for by Vote Leave and created by Aggregate IQ. In the modern world of campaigning, political parties and campaigns can...

Posted 30 Jul 2018

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