The UK’s digital exclusion dilemma remains a contentious issue. In spite of the criticism surrounding the country’s apparent lack of strategic efforts, very little of substance has been provided to rectify the problem. A worrying depiction of the situation has recently emerged from a UK parliamentary committee report.
Adding fuel to the fire, this report does not give a clear definition of “digital exclusion,” and has been challenged on its accuracy of measurements. One such questionable statistic suggests that seven million households lack broadband or mobile internet access. In contrast, the report’s eighth point paints a more realistic picture of 1.7 million households being affected.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston, chair of the committee responsible for the report, said, “The government has bold ambitions to make the UK a technology superpower and centre of AI development, but we can’t deliver an exciting digital future when five million workers are under skilled in digital and nearly two and half million people still can’t complete a single basic digital task”. She identified a clear disconnection between the UK’s aspiration to be an AI regulatory hub on the international stage, and the reality of its digital exclusion issue.
Stowell continues, “Tackling digital exclusion isn’t as sexy as searching for the next tech unicorn, but we can’t compete as a global player without getting the basics right. We have found a distinct lack of leadership in Government to tackle this issue. It is shocking that a digital inclusion strategy has not been produced since 2014 and the Government sees no need for a new one. It is vital we get a grip of this now.” This powerful assertion highlights the importance of addressing this digital divide for the UK to remain competitive globally.
In addition, Stowell discussed potential solutions like social tariffs, IT education, and scrapping VAT on these measures. However, the effectiveness of such solutions remains debatable and raises questions regarding the necessity and current state of digital education.
The situation is being further complicated by the ongoing discussions surrounding the Online Safety Bill in UK parliament. The legislation will hold individual tech executives legally accountable for the enforcement of children’s online safety measures. Victory for the proponents of stringent controls, but it also pushes tech platforms towards excessive censorship due to the fear of legal repercussions.
In essence, given the potential dangers of compromising end-to-end encryption, as Apple and other tech behemoths have warned about, it might be time for the government to critically examine its approach to digital skills enhancement.
