Select Committee · Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Connected tech: smart or sinister?

Status: Closed Opened: 12 May 2022 Closed: 5 Feb 2024 23 recommendations 8 conclusions 2 reports

The DCMS Committee will examine the impacts of the increasing prevalence of smart and connected technology and what needs to be done to ensure it is safe and secure for its users. The Connected tech: smart or sinister? inquiry will explore how devices including smart speakers, virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri and wearable …

Clear

Reports

2 reports
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI and creative technology HC 1643 30 Aug 2023 11 Responded
Tenth Report - Connected tech: smart or sinister? HC 157 7 Aug 2023 20 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

6 items
2 Recommendation Tenth Report - Connected tech: smart or… Acknowledged

Introduce measures to standardise intuitive privacy interfaces for connected devices, empowering users.

The Government should introduce appropriate measures to standardise privacy interfaces for connected devices as a first step, which will help users learn how to control connected devices in their homes and exercise data rights. Privacy interfaces should be appropriately accessible, intuitive and flexible enough so users of a reasonable level …

Government response. The government partially accepts the recommendation, referencing existing GDPR requirements for privacy information. While not committing to standardising interfaces for connected devices, it will engage with interest groups in the coming months to explore options for simpler and more granular …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
6 Recommendation Tenth Report - Connected tech: smart or… Acknowledged

Review incentives for piloting data institutions in smart cities to boost citizen control.

Though smart cities provide a range of opportunities, such as more efficient management of resources, there are also additional risks to confidence in privacy and data protection, making it harder for individuals to exercise data rights. The Government should review how it can incentivise and actively pilot the creation of …

Government response. The government partially accepts the recommendation, stating it is examining how data intermediaries can facilitate data sharing and empower individuals. It highlights existing data-driven practices and discusses ongoing work to manage security risks associated with connected places technologies, providing guidance …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
18 Recommendation Tenth Report - Connected tech: smart or… Acknowledged

Make tackling technology-facilitated abuse a priority across law enforcement and justice system

The Government must make tackling technology-facilitated abuse, or “tech abuse”, a priority. There is little evidence to suggest that our law enforcement and criminal justice system has been equipped to deal with the problems caused by tech abuse now, let alone as connected devices become even more prevalent in future. …

Government response. The government agrees, stating that tackling technology-facilitated abuse is already recognised as a priority within existing strategies like the 2021 Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, and commits to continuing to ensure it remains a priority.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2 Recommendation Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI an… Acknowledged

Set out a plan to upskill and resource non-digital sector regulators for the AI regime.

The Government should set out a plan to provide upskilling and resourcing for non- digital sector regulators to ensure they can meet the needs of the new cross-sector regulatory regime for AI.

Government response. The government recognises the need for central coordination and states it is establishing a central risk function and implementing a coordination function. It will provide further details in a forthcoming response to the white paper consultation.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
8 Conclusion Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI an… Acknowledged

Ensure support for creative industries encourages artists' innovation in emerging technologies and cultural institutions' investment.

While institutions are understandably investing in products such as the metaverse and generative AI, this should not be to the exclusion of novel and emerging technologies, which are enabling artists to innovate and attract audiences. In order to encourage a rich and diverse cultural and creative technology ecosystem, the Government …

Government response. The government outlines the five objectives and scope of its forthcoming Cultural Education Plan, which aims to support high-quality cultural education for children and young people and strengthen talent pipelines, and will be published in the coming months.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
9 Conclusion Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI an… Acknowledged

Ensure Cultural Education Plan explicitly addresses digital skills shortages in creative technology sectors.

As we have repeatedly raised, the tech sector and creative industries are experiencing long-standing skills and personnel shortages that have capped the potential for growth. The Government’s forthcoming Cultural Education Plan should explicitly discuss how educators can combine digital skills provision with creative and cultural education to nurture the next …

Government response. The government outlines the objectives of its Cultural Education Plan, including strengthening talent pipelines into cultural and creative sectors, and states the plan will be published in the coming months. However, it does not explicitly commit to detailing how educators …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Oral evidence sessions

6 sessions
Date Witnesses
31 Jan 2023 Erika Lewis · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Julia Lopez MP · Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Sam Cannicott · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport View ↗
17 Jan 2023 David Kleidermacher · Google, John Edwards · Information Commissioner's Office, Leila Rouhi · Amazon, Stephen Almond · Information Commissioner's Office View ↗
22 Nov 2022 Dr Yiyun Kang, Svana Gisla · ABBA Voyage View ↗
1 Nov 2022 Dr Asieh Hosseini Tabaghdehi, Dr Efpraxia Zamani, Dr Matthew Cole View ↗
11 Oct 2022 Matt Lewis · NCC Group, Professor George Loukas, Simon Moore · Palo Alto Networks View ↗
19 Jul 2022 Antony Walker · techUK, Dr Leonie Tanczer, Dr Lulu Shi, Silkie Carlo · Big Brother Watch View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
9 Feb 2023 To cttee Letter from John Edwards, Information Commissioner, relating to oral evidence …