Sign in

Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana

@lexiekk.bsky.social
173 followers 417 following 122 posts

At the helm in high seas @impressorg.bsky.social 🌐 bridging media, tech, law & public interest. 📍 current hyper fixation: soup, now we are in the 'ber' months Subscribe to my free newsletter: lexiekirkconnellkawana.substack.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Highly recommend Lorna Woods excellent analysis of the legality of Groks "undressing" function and use www.onlinesafetyact.net/analysis/gro... Shows the limits of the law, particularly the regulators powers. Watch this space as governments the world over wrestle with abusive uses of AI tech.
onlinesafetyact.net
Grok: criminal offences, the civil law and the Online Safety Act
This analysis by Prof Lorna Woods OBE looks at the use of Grok, X’s AI tool, to create non-consensual, sexually explicit images of women and girls, the possible criminal offences that users might comm...
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Online safety, digital surveillance and the last dying breaths of our right to privacy... This week in Common Ground I write about age assurance tech as a trogan horse for all our rights... bit.ly/3X7feX9
bit.ly
Child Safety Panic May Permanently Devour Our Privacy
Dramatic, tech-driven changes in the name of online safety may mortgage standards of privacy that we cannot build back.
030
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Fantastic event on next Tuesday for those willing or able to travel to London Join writers, actors and campaigners to discuss the Hack, phone hacking, and what's next for press reform @hackedoff.bsky.social www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-hack-w...
eventbrite.co.uk
The Hack: What next?
Join TV personality Kerry Katona, writer Jack Thorne and star guests to discuss ITV drama The Hack - and must happen next.
083
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
We were waiting for this. AI developers got a nod from the UK courts on whether their AI models infringe copyrighted work. Recently, a judge threw out a passing off claim advanced by Getty Images against AI developer Stability. How do you feel about this? bit.ly/49pvBpn #AI #Copyright #AINews
bit.ly
Is AI Conquering Copyright? UK Court Throws Developers Fresh Bone
A new court ruling has altered how copyright holders can guard their work from AI learning. With regulatory frameworks still on blueprint, have AI developers evaded one of their early challengers?
010
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
We finally have the last edition of the Hack, out now! Thanks for those of you who've gone on the journey with our companion piece to ITV's the Hack. It's been a fun ride, and we know that a better media is possible @hackedoff.bsky.social @mediareformuk.bsky.social youtu.be/KnJNLrJC5Yc
youtu.be
After The Hack #7 | with Byline Times & Impress
YouTube video by Byline TV
032
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Sure they can refuse access to the building but journalists can't opt out of their First Amendment rights so the consideration for this agreement is void and the whole thing isn't worth the paper it's written on... Any US constitutional scholars welcome to correct me here.
google.com
Redirect Notice
020
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
What u find interesting about the Pete Hesgeth new pentagon access guidelines for journalists is the mislaid notion that people can contract our of their constitutional rights... www.google.com/amp/s/www.bb...
google.com
Redirect Notice
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Divestment in quality media intentional or accidental? The stats support more effectiveness for brands and advertisers... So let's stop chasing eyeballs, clicks, impressions and build a digital economy that doesn't rely on exploitation. How about investing in ethical accountable media? #awc
110
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Maybe he's been watching "The Hack" @itvx.com @hackedoff.bsky.social He seems to have adopted @mediareformuk.bsky.social platform...
010
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
He said “transparency of sources of ownership, accountability, quality and objectivity” as key to news media. “One form of active citizenship is to value and support ... agencies that demonstrate seriousness and true freedom in their work ... a virtuous circle that benefits society as a whole.”
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
The fight for trustworthy and accountable journalism found a new advocate in... the Pope? 😅 www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
You won’t believe what degrading practice the pope just condemned
Communication must be freed from clickbait and misguided thinking, head of Catholic church tells journalists
123
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
From @hackedoff.bsky.social Nathan Sparkes latest piece in Common Ground bit.ly/4obg6p7
bit.ly
The Legacy of the Phone-Hacking Scandal
Nathan Sparkes, Chief Executive at Hacked Off, shares his insights on how the phone hacking scandal didn't come from nowhere and without real reform, history will repeat itself.
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Either, the Government will do nothing and the cycle of scandal and cosmetic reform will repeat. Press disinformation, intrusion and other abuses will go on, day to day, destroying peoples’ lives, distorting elections and misleading the public, but making little impact on the national policy agenda
101
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
How is phone hacking connected to one of the most notorious unsolved murders in Britain? Episode 2 of #afterthehack is out now. If you're watching the Hack on ITV 9pm, this is the best companion podcast for all the insights, hot takes and more. youtu.be/hN1NgxsJbxw
youtu.be
After The Hack #2 | with Byline Times & Impress
YouTube video by Byline TV
12813
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
For the full @itvnewspolitics.bsky.social interview, watch here youtu.be/A9AkTVtd6yE?...
youtu.be
Hugh Grant: Hacking victims have been ‘betrayed’ by Sir Keir Starmer – Talking Politics | ITV News
YouTube video by ITV News
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Really powerful words from Hugh Grant on the last 12 years of political failure, including the current Government, for victims of press abuse. If we want a better media we need this collusion to end.
120
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
At the Labour Party conference this week advocating for quick wins and ready made solutions for a better media with @hackedoff.bsky.social @mediareformuk.bsky.social and @pressjustice.bsky.social
011
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Started watching #theHack on ITV and want more? 'After the Hack', our recap show with @bylinetimes.bsky.social is now out! Weekly episodes on the real politics and behind the scenes goss of the phone hacking scandal, plus what action you can take to build a better media youtu.be/VlCYtc_IGoU?...
youtu.be
After The Hack | Preview Show with Byline Times & Impress
YouTube video by Byline TV
0147
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Media, be it news or entertainment, is very expensive to produce. Sometimes the risk pays off, but most of the time it doesn't. Only the extremely wealthy can weather the sunk costs and they do so because of the second order benefits, i.e. to yield influence, not because media is good business.
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Media barons are nothing new, studios and papers have always existed to promote the agenda of their owners. What's breaking is the illusion that free market capitalism would produce plurality and editorial independence.
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
It's lack of independence, discretion to interpret public interest and blended remit over content and market controls that allows US agencies like the Federal Communications Commission to become ideologically captured by Commissioners at the top #jimmykimmel
000
Reposted by Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana
nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Just to be blunt, if you want Wired and 404 and The Verge to employ reporters who understand the memes on bullet casings and can connect them to gaming culture while having the legal and support resources to deal with waves of harassment when we do it… you have to subscribe and pay for the work
11960221346
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
I write more about this in my latest post for Common Ground lexiekirkconnellkawana.substack.com/p/online-hat...
lexiekirkconnellkawana.substack.com
Newsflash: The Internet isn’t a Lawless Zone for Online Hate
How decades of weak enforcement around online speech created a culture of digital illegality—and why that's finally changing.
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
Lucy Connolly and Graham Linehan are the latest high profile cases of speech being policed online. Posting hateful content and inciting violence against others without early intervention can fuel a pattern of behaviour which gives them the confidence to continue to post.
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
scarce and inconsistent policing of hateful and abusive content online has reduced that risk and emboldened people to push the boundaries further. Lack of enforcement online has created a culture of illegality.
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Spoke too soon Nepal ban is lifted after tragedy during public protests www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Nepal protests: Social media ban lifted after 19 killed in protests
Thousands had taken to the streets demanding that the government lift the ban and tackle corruption.
010
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
In case you missed it Nepal just shut down access to 26 major platforms, including Meta and X for failing to meet new legal requirements. The age of platform sovereignty is ending. Global connectivity will be superseded by physical borders.
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Curriculum changes that ignore 80% of adults, a new minister when DCMS already exists, and platform levies (a ‘when pigs fly’) promise The real issue? We expect the public to be media literate, but we don’t hold the professionals who create and distribute media to any standard. 👉 bit.ly/4p0COS6
bit.ly
On Media Literacy: Building Professional Standards for Public Trust
Disinformation costs $78 bn per year globally and undermines public trust in democratic institutions. Yet current government responses in the UK are failing because they misunderstand the problem.
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
The House of Lords Communications Committee released a sobering report on #medialiteracy painting a picture of a nation in a literacy crisis. However the recommendations proposed are all over the place
110
Reposted by Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana
Sohan Dsouza @sohandsouza.info · 26/06/2025
🇬🇧🗞🔥🕵️ I wrote a guest post at @lexiekk.bsky.social's Common Ground newsletter, about six character profiles involved in misinformation and manipulation patterns surrounding the UK Southport-spinoff summer riots of 2024, and ideas for systemic-level mitigation measures. #platforms #OSINT #SOCMINT
lexiekirkconnellkawana.substack.com
How Platform Design Amplified Misinformation in the Southport Attack Aftermath
Sohan Dsouza, open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigator, takes over Common Ground to analyse six key actors who exploited social media to spread false claims that fueled anti-immigrant riots.
082
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
The question I am exploring in the newsletter: Will governments hold the line on tech regulation, or will lobbying influence win the day? Subscribe to understand which way the regulatory winds are blowing - and how you can to position yourself and your business 🔗 bit.ly/3G6Xztw
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
That media awakening gave us Europe's Digital Markets Act, UK's Online Safety Act, and global antitrust cases. But now some companies are fighting back with record lobbying spending and massive political donations to the current US administration.
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
The turning point in case you missed it: Around 2017-18, tech companies changed their algorithms, slashing traffic to news websites. Publishers who'd been neutral about regulation suddenly became its fiercest advocates.
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Last week I broke down how Big Tech spent 25 years dodging regulatory scrutiny with a simple playbook and turned a blind eye to illegal behaviour of its users online. This week's focus is the news publishers who became the catalyst for change. bit.ly/3G6Xztw
bit.ly
Why Calls for Big Tech Regulation Feel New But Aren't: Part 2
News publishers now ‘fed up’ and concerned about digital market power on commerce and democracy, started regularly investigating tech company practises and raising awareness with the public.
110
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
But here's what's changing: Today's centralised, monopolised internet makes accountability easier. Fewer players, more direct enforcement pathways. 👉 Read the full breakdown on why today's regulatory momentum was inevitable. bit.ly/4n4028U
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
The three-step playbook: → Hide behind US jurisdiction → Use scale to overwhelm enforcement → Normalize the unacceptable Why? The 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act became the internet's constitution, shielding platforms from user liability.
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Plot twist: The harm you experience online was always part of the business model. For 25 years, platforms built empires on a "culture of illegality"—making digital harm seem normal. The laws to stop harassment and exploitation existed. They just weren't enforced.
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
💭 "Identifying who is causing harm is less difficult in our contemporary centralised internet where there are fewer upstream players and many have backdoor arrangements with law enforcement." bit.ly/3TiWHoy
bit.ly
Why Calls for Big Tech Regulation Feel New But Aren't
Tech giants built monopolies on a foundation of rule-dodging and regulatory capture while everyone bought into the myth that digital chaos was just the price of innovation.
110
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Public officials pleading with the public not to share mis and disinfo shows how compromised our basic services have become by the spread of false information. Urgent action needs to be taken by Government, regulators and civil society to address this.
010
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Uncomfortable question: Are we protecting children or just making ourselves feel better while creating a dystopian internet? More in my newsletter on why this approach backfires and what might work better. bit.ly/4kjpPYV
000
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Here's why: We're building surveillance infrastructure to verify ages. Platforms now have more reasons to monitor our behavior. We're making policies about kids' digital lives without asking kids what they think. And platforms get to skip the hard work of actually making spaces safer.
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
🚨 The inconvenient truth about social media age bans 🚨 Everyone's rushing to "protect" children by banning them from social media. Australia, Texas, Florida—it feels obvious, right? But these bans might actually make the internet LESS safe for everyone. bit.ly/4kjpPYV
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
An important initiative in troubling times for journalism and democracy, @impressorg.bsky.social is here to support, across the Atlantic!
010
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
🌐 At @impressorg.bsky.social, we have recently received funding from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust to form a coalition of media associations to negotiate collectively with Strategic Market Status companies under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Learn more: bit.ly/3FdYEPY
bit.ly
All roads lead to Rome: closing the loop on news in Google search
If news publishers no longer see the value in being indexed and ranked in search results, is there a world in which they might voluntarily withdraw from search engines like Google entirely?
020
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
And if quality journalism disappears from search results, what happens to the 1/3 of Brits who use Google as their primary news source? In the alternative, what I hope to see is news publishers being equal partners in a new deal. 🤝
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
🚩 Let's be brutally honest: If the new terms state that news publishers’ content will be scrapped for free for AI whether they allow for it or not, what incentive remains for publishers to stay on Google?
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
💡 If news publishers no longer see the value in being indexed and ranked in search results, is there a world in which they might voluntarily withdraw from search engines like Google entirely? bit.ly/3FdYEPY
bit.ly
All roads lead to Rome: closing the loop on news in Google search
If news publishers no longer see the value in being indexed and ranked in search results, is there a world in which they might voluntarily withdraw from search engines like Google entirely?
100
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Great piece from @publicinterestnews.org.uk on Local Democracy Reporting Scheme and what #BBC could do to improve the scheme so it supports accountable independent local journalism www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/post/indie-n...
publicinterestnews.org.uk
Indie News Providers react to Local Democracy Reporting Service contracts announcement
In light of last week's announcement, Jonathan Heawood unpacks the reactions among indie news providers on the BBC's Local Democracy Reporting Service.Last Friday, the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) announced the awardees of new contracts to host Local Democracy Reporters (LDRs) for the next two-and-a-half years.  The LDRS is an initiative set up by the BBC in 2017. It pays for 165 journalism jobs to help report on local democracy issues across the UK, hosted by publishers followin
010
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana @lexiekk.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
More solutions that look at cultural relevance for diverse Britain, reform impartiality beyond political axis to other identity axes, address long standing issues of building trust with left behind communities and political independence
010