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The Guardian 18 January 2023

I was interviewed by The Guardian for an article about the government's amendment to the Online Safety Bill to block videos of asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats. 

Quotes shared here. Link to full article here. 

Censorship fears over plan to keep Channel people-smugglers off social media

by Dan Milmo 18 January 2023 

Open Rights Group, which campaigns for privacy and free speech online, said the change could force social media companies into overzealous policing of their platforms. This could include taking down lawful posts with automated systems based on “perceptual hashing”, which effectively compares posts taken from social media feeds against a database of images.

“The chances are they would rely on artificial intelligence techniques, or content moderation systems based on perceptual hashing,” said Dr Monica Horten, a policy manager at ORG. “Both options entail risks of over-blocking. Lawful posts could be censored, with serious implications for public discourse in the UK.”

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About Iptegrity

Iptegrity.com is the website of Dr Monica Horten, independent policy advisor: online safety, technology and human rights. Advocating to protect the rights of the majority of law abiding citizens online. Independent expert on the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on online safety and empowerment of content creators and users.  Published author, and post-doctoral scholar, with a PhD from the University of Westminster, and a DipM from the Chartered Institute of Marketing.  Former telecoms journalist,  experienced panelist and Chair, cited in the media eg  BBC, iNews, Times, Guardian and Politico.