“The government will target this spending at areas that are critical for productivity: housing, research and development, economic infrastructure   and   skills.   This   will   include   £740   million   of   digital   infrastructure   investment.”

“We will build on the success of world-beating sectors such as car and aero manufacturing, financial services, life sciences, digital technology and our creative industries, and help other sectors develop the conditions which they need to thrive.”

“Our  towns  and  cities  excel  when  they  have  vibrant  cultural  life.  Britain’s  arts  and  culture  are world-beating and are at the heart of the regeneration of much of modern Britain. We will  continue  our  strong  support  for  the  arts,  and  ensure  more  of  that  support  is  based  outside  London.”

“We will introduce a new cultural development fund to use cultural  investment  to  turn  around  communities.”

A Digital Charter

“A  Conservative  government  will  develop  a  digital  charter,  working  with  industry  and  charities to establish a new framework that balances freedom with protection for users, and offers opportunities alongside obligations for businesses and platforms. This charter has  two  fundamental  aims:  that  we  will  make  Britain  the  best  place  to  start  and  run  a  digital business; and that we will make Britain the safest place in the world to be online.”

“We  will  ensure  there  is  a  robust  system  for  protection of intellectual property when the UK has left the EU, with strong protections against infringement”

“We  will  ensure  digital  businesses  have  access  to  the  best  talent  from  overseas  to  compete  with  anywhere  in  the  world.  This  will  be  complemented  by  at  least  one  new  institute  of  technology  in  the  UK,  dedicated  to  world-leading  digital  skills and developed and run in partnership with the tech industry.”

“We will work with industry to introduce new protections for minors, from images of pornography, violence, and other age-inappropriate content not just on social media but in app stores and content sites as well.”

“We  will  make  clear  the  responsibility of platforms to enable the reporting of inappropriate, bullying, harmful or illegal content, with take-down on a comply-or-explain basis.”

“To create a sound ethical framework for how data is used, we will institute an expert Data Use and Ethics Commission to advise regulators and parliament on the nature of data use and how best to  prevent  its  abuse.”

“We will ensure content creators  are  appropriately  rewarded  for  the  content  they  make  available  online.”

A Framework For Data And The Digital Economy

“Some people say that it is not for government to regulate when it comes to technology and  the  internet.  We  disagree.  While  we  cannot  create  this  framework  alone,  it  is  for  government,  not  private  companies,  to  protect  the  security  of  people  and  ensure  the  fairness  of  the  rules  by  which  people  and  businesses  abide.  Nor  do  we  agree  that  the  risks of such an approach outweigh the potential benefits. It is in the interests of stable markets  that  consumers  are  protected  from  abusive  behaviour,  that  money  is  able  to  flow freely and securely, and that competition between businesses takes place on a level playing field. It is in no-one’s interest for the foundations of strong societies and stable democracies – the rule of law, privacy and security – to be undermined. So  we  will  establish  a  regulatory  framework  in  law  to  underpin  our  digital  charter  and  to  ensure  that  digital  companies,  social  media  platforms  and  content  providers  abide  by  these  principles.”

“We  will  introduce  a  sanctions  regime  to  ensure  compliance,  giving  regulators the ability to fine or prosecute those companies that fail in their legal duties, and to order the removal of content where it clearly breaches UK law. We will also create a  power  in  law  for  government  to  introduce  an  industry-wide  levy  from  social  media  companies and communication service providers to support awareness and preventative activity to counter internet harms, just as is already the case with the gambling industry.”

The above does not represent policy but is a weekly report of parliamentary activity prepared by the Alliance on IP matters and other broad areas of interest to the creative industries which the Alliance has shared with its members.