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Owen Bennett

@owbennett.bsky.social
473 followers 327 following 249 posts

Now: Independent consultant and Fellow at the Hertie School. Then: Head of International Online Safety at Ofcom; Senior Policy Manager at Mozilla.

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Reposted by Owen Bennett
John Springford @johnspringford.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
My Brexit 10 years on take. The more responsible parts of the media struggled to get useful information to voters, because hypotheticals can't be proved and plausible outcomes had to be modelled. The less responsible parts simply campaiged for Brexit.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
The Canadian Digital Safety bill is a fine example of 'second-mover advantage' in the tech regulation space. But the provision that's more interesting to me is one that's totally novel: enjoining regulators with companies in the process of determining what good safety looks like.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I understand why this is newsworthy, but the crucial missing context is that this kind of intervention on tech policy matters has been a standard playbook for US embassies in Europe and globally as far back as the Obama administration. www.thetimes.com/article/cd13...
thetimes.com
White House tells UK: Don’t ban social media for under-16s
The Trump administration criticised plans for Australian-style age restrictions, while tech companies are expected to seek judicial reviews
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
'For de Souza, the language shouldn't be about "banning the children", but instead "banning the companies"'. The UK gov isn't planning to include an 'off-ramp' for companies whereby they can avoid a ban by offering age-appropriate services. That means it's a ban on companies AND a ban on children
Screenshot from BBC coverage on UK social media ban plans:

Children's Commissioner for England Rachel de Souza says under-16s across the country want to cut down on social media, but "don't know how".

On Monday she told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme that "there is a groundswell from everyone that we need to get something done".

The consultation comes as Keir Starmer says "decisive" action is needed for under-16s on social media. For de Souza, the language shouldn't be about "banning the children", but instead "banning the companies".

"The children have done nothing wrong," she told Radio 4. "We are protecting children by not allowing these companies to have access to them."
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Know anyone who has burning questions about how law is responding to the confluence of AI and social media? The 2026 instalment of the Law Society of Ireland's free annual Massive Open Online Course kicks off next week, and this year the focus is all things AI and social media law.
This year’s MOOC will provide participants with an insight into the rapidly developing impact and intersection of Social Media, AI and the Law. The course will offer an overview of recent advancements, delving into issues surrounding liability, regulation, privacy and data protection, social media bans, cybercrime and e-commerce. It will also explore the considerable impact on our work environment and daily lives, including digital manipulation and surveillance.  

Expert speakers, lawyers, public figures and academics will review the current state of play, demystify concerns, discuss the potential impact in the coming years, and much more.
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Reposted by Owen Bennett
Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
“Ireland is described as “a live cautionary example” of energy demand running ahead of infrastructure, with data centres using electricity equivalent to all urban households combined” Everyone always says how fun it is to be held up as a cautionary tale by the UN www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
irishtimes.com
Ireland’s data centre strain a ‘cautionary tale’ for rest of world, UN says
Data processing accounts for 21% of Irish electricity use – compared to just 4% in the US and 1% in China
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Sigh. I feel for the junior civil servants whose job it will be to write the policy to ban 'political' symbols in the NHS, that somehow captures pro-Palestine badges but doesn't mess with the poppy. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
NHS to curb political symbols on uniforms after antisemitism report
Government-ordered review reveals ‘routine ostracism’ of Jewish staff and patients in health service
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Reposted by Owen Bennett
Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
This episode of "Today" desperately needs a historian of policing, to explain why things like anti-racism training were introduced in the first place. This wasn't some departure from a world in which the police treated everyone the same. It was an attempt to bring that world fractionally closer.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
📢 Calling all UK online safety practitioners and enthusiasts I've created a free two-part introductory course on the UK Online Safety Act, as a starting point for lawyers, public affairs practitioners, or frankly anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of the OSA and its implementation by Ofcom.
A screenshot of the course overview and what is covered in the two parts of the mini-course. The overview can be read on the course website: https://www.platform.courses/osa-mini
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I would like to see news publishers establish a standard practice whereby the outside law firms that enable this kind of lawfare are named in the articles (and not solely their clients).
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
🔔Ofcom has this morning published a update on its regulatory engagement with large tech companies on child protection. www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet... Three stand-outs for me ⤵️
ofcom.org.uk
Tech firms commit to stronger anti-grooming measures in response to Ofcom demands
Children in the UK will be better protected from harm as some of the largest and most popular sites and apps agree to introduce significant new anti-grooming measures in response to Ofcom’s public cal...
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I look forward to the day when Harvard Business School whiz kids write the history of Sonos' *two* catastrophic attempts at building a functioning mobile app.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
As necessary as it is, I don't see any pathway for Labour to deliver a dramatic EU reset this side of a general election. The party got elected on a manifesto that allows for only the most tentative of resets. Either it breaks the manifesto in a radical way, or it owns the catastrophic error.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Companies at risk of NCII in the UK will now need to deploy dedicated hash-matching technology to remain in compliance with the Online Safety Act, under an update to Ofcom's codes of practice announced today. ofcom.cmail20.com/t/i-l-zhuykkt-iiulklydjk-i/
ofcom.cmail20.com
Platforms should use detection technology to stop spread of illegal intimate images online, under strengthened Ofcom Codes
Platforms should use detection technology to stop spread of illegal intimate images online, under strengthened Ofcom Codes.
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Reposted by Owen Bennett
Jonathan Jones @sirjjkc.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
The European Partnership Bill in the King’s Speech isn’t quite what I expected. It’s said the Bill will contain powers to implement treaties with the EU once agreed. Earlier reports suggested a form of “dynamic alignment” which would allow gov to follow EU rules even with no treaty. Will wait & see
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Reposted by Owen Bennett
Sandra Wachter @swachter.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Come & work with me at the Hasso Plattner Institute & Prof @bmittelstadt.bsky.social & @cruss.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk I am looking for a post doc on the governance of emergent tech. jobs.plattnerfoundation.org/HPI/job/Pots... Application deadline is June 18, 2026
jobs.plattnerfoundation.org
Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/x) in Technology and Regulation
Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/x) in Technology and Regulation
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
I’m generally of the view that the EU and UK’s online safety rulebooks are sufficiently flexible to respond to the ever-evolving commercial, technological, and social factors that drive online safety risks. But GenAI chatbots and their emerging risks to children might prove an exception.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Perhaps because I 'want' it to be true, I found this piece by @mijrahman.bsky.social on Europe's emerging geopolitical consciousness to be a great read. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Yes, Europe’s leaders are finally standing up to Trump. Here’s why | Mujtaba Rahman
Friedrich Merz’s criticism of the US president was not a solo run. It was born of the realisation that US leverage has slipped, says political analyst Mujtaba Rahman
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Significant change at the top of Ireland's online safety regulator, with Commissioner Niamh Hodnett stepping down after three years in the role. Given she's been running the public sector equivalent of a high-octane start-up, that's a good innings. www.gov.ie/en/departmen...
gov.ie
Minister O’Donovan appoints Niamh Hodnett as a Commissioner to ComReg
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
According to MLex, the European Commission Pres has signalled that an EU-level social media ban could be proposed as early as this summer. If Brussels goes down that route, London will have little choice but to follow suit, irrespective of domestic sentiment. www.linkedin.com/posts/sara-b...
linkedin.com
❗The EU is edging closer to introducing a minimum age for social media, aka a social media ban. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday that Brussels could present a legal… | ...
❗The EU is edging closer to introducing a minimum age for social media, aka a social media ban. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday that Brussels could present a legal pro...
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Much of the media commentary in the build-up to Starmer's last-chance speech focused on this 'Britain at the heart of Europe' line. But now that we know it doesn't imply a review of the government's self-sabotaging negotiating 'red lines' vis-à-vis the EU, it shouldn't be taken seriously.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
'We are extremely concerned about the chilling effect on the Bar of the state seeking to criminalise barristers for their representation of their clients'. Strong statement from Garden Court Chambers, as one of their barristers faces contempt of court proceedings WRT a Palestine Action case.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
A major and often forgotten features of the UK Online Safety Act is that it empowers Ofcom to direct companies to deploy advanced tech to identify and suppress CSAM and terrorist content. The regulator has today set out its views on how that tech should work www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...
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Reposted by Owen Bennett
The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Given the limited powers of local authorities and the constraints on financing and on doing anything, a majority is something one would perhaps wish on one's political opponents. It is almost impossible for a majority to do well in charge of a local authority nowadays, only grades of doing badly.
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Reposted by Owen Bennett
Liz Carolan @lizcarolan.com · 08/05/2026
Crucial point by John Curtis on BBC - Councils flipping from Labour to Reform are because Labour are losing **to the left**, & Cons to Reform Chasing Reform failed Labour; they lost the base & didn’t convince many on the right (Failed Tories too) Watch everyone learn the wrong lesson anyway
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Another great policy job, this time at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. Focus is broader than tech, mind. www.iccl.ie/wp-content/u...
iccl.ie
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Reposted by Owen Bennett
Andrew Cutting @andrewcutting.coe.int · 06/05/2026
What has the European Convention on Human Rights ever done for anyone? A new ITV drama shows how survivors of serial rapist John Worboys used the ECHR to hold the authorities to account for failing to protect women from violence. Find out more👇 🔗 www.centreforwomensjustice.org.uk/news/2026/5/...
centreforwomensjustice.org.uk
ITV Drama, ‘Believe Me’ tells the story of the legal battle by two survivors to hold the police and parole board to account — Centre for Women's Justice
ITV’s four‑part drama Believe Me , which airs from 10 May, is the true crime story of the legal battle fought by two survivors of serial rapist taxi driver, John Worboys to hold the police accountabl...
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Internet Matters has just published timely research that explores how the UK online safety regulatory project is impacting the online lived experience of children. I'll be joining this online panel on Thursday, to discuss what the research tells us about the state, and the future, of regulation.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Those pesky European hate speech and platform accountability laws strike again. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
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Reposted by Owen Bennett
Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
These numbers should be amplified everywhere there is a flat surface. The 3,000 person sample size was statistically significant. The direction of travel is positive but runs directly contrary to the perception born in the echo-chamber of Twitter-brained media and politics. (H&CC is a client)
RTE 100

Year-on-year datasets tracking changes in public sentiment in Ireland between 2024 and 2025 show
that 66% agree that immigrants contribute positively to Irish culture and community, which is up 2% up from 64% in 2024.
79% believe working-class people are struggling due to systemic inequality which is also up 2% from 77% in 2024.
Those who believe wealthy people are successful because they were given more opportunities than others has risen from 63% in 2024 to 69% in 2025.
The number of people who support the freedom of transgender people to live their lives is up 5% up from 70% in 2024.
80% agree that Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities face greater barriers to success than white people, up 5% up from 75% in 2024.Research Framework
Ireland in Focus draws on multiple sources of data to provide a clearer understanding of how hate, disinformation and far-right mobilisation are evolving across Ireland in
2025. This includes H&CC's analysis of far-right developments in political organising, informal networks and far-right agitators, giving insights into how narratives, mobilisation and organising strategies are emerging and shifting.
company Dynata. The data was independently weighted by Ireland Thinks using demographic and methodological controls such as age, gender, ethnicity and voting behaviour at time of poll fielding to ensure representativeness and statistical robustness. The consistent methodology across both waves allows for reliable year-on-year comparison of sentiment and social trends and the large sample size gives high levels of statistical significance.
Ireland in Focus also draws data from 89 communities' crisis responses (49 in 2024 and 40 in 2025) supported by H&CC to capture how local communities responded in real time to moments of tension, protest and disinformation.
Ireland in Focus, assesses public attitudes through two large, nationally representative, anonymous surveys conducted in 2024 and 2025, each with approximately 3,000 respondents via independent polling
The consistency in design across both years provides a robust basis for tracking how attitudes are shifting - making this one of the first datasets of its kind in Ireland to capture changes in public sentiment over time. Finally to understand how narratives were spreading and evolving in the public sphere, narrative benchmarking was analysed using a commercial social media research tool.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
I've had a growing sense of FOMO in recent days, as Lusaka is the first instalment of RightsCon in a decade that I won't be attending. But this news has put it into perspective. A lot of cash-strapped digital rights organisations will have sacrificed a lot to get to Zambia. A real shame.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Convince me that EU Council presidency venue choices are not a crafty attempt by mid-level civil servants to make the case to their political masters for investment in regional public transport. EU politicos are going to spend *a lot* of time in minivans with the EU presidency comes to Ireland.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
I spoke to the @thetimes.com about the UK's impending social media restrictions for teenagers. Until it is clear about what harms to children it is trying to mitigate, government is likely to make sub-optimum policy choices about the services to target and how. www.thetimes.com/uk/technolog...
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
New DSA enforcement action against Meta for having under-13s on its services. While the DSA doesn't set out minimum age thresholds for access to social media, I suspect DG CNECT is relying on the risk management provisions that concern how companies set and enforce their terms of service.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
I spoke to TPP for this story on the Southport inquiry report. Online regulation probably wouldn't have made a difference in this case, but the report tells us something about how companies approached age assurance and children's exposure to age-inappropriate content in the pre-reg days.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
I'm excited to be a keynote at next week's Westminster Forum Projects conference on children's use of social media. I'll be sharing thoughts on how experiences from Australia, the EU, and elsewhere can inform the UK debate on social media restrictions, ahead of likely govt action this summer.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
The Australian government has set out its plans for a sweeping overhaul of the domestic online safety rulebook. AU was the world's first country to create comprehensive online safety rules back in 2021, but its approach looks increasingly dated (the EU DSA ushered in a regulatory paradigm shift).
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Online safety enforcement klaxon: Ofcom has opened an investigation into Telegram, alleging the service has failed to adequately manage the risk of CSAM being shared among users. Note that unlike the DSA, there is no carve-out in the UK rules for messaging apps. www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...
ofcom.org.uk
Ofcom investigates Telegram and teen chat sites
Ofcom has launched an investigation into Telegram under the UK’s Online Safety Act, to determine whether it is doing enough to prevent child sexual abuse material being shared.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
The shortlist of candidates for the role of UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression has been published. I recognise several strong human rights defenders in the mix. www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies...
ohchr.org
Appointments at the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council (15 June – 10 July 2026)
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
As an instrument for international norm-setting in the online safety regulatory space, I'm a big fan of the Council of Europe's new recommendation on online safety. I explain why in this piece for Tech Policy Press.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
The recording for this webinar is now online. Come for the comprehensive overview of online child protection developments across jurisdictions. Stay for my wild hand gesticulations when describing the UK banning discourse. www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5iy...
youtube.com
Safeguarding the Next Generation Emerging Regulatory Frameworks, Operational Tools, Global Lessons
YouTube video by Brussels Privacy Hub
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Aditya Chakrabortty has long been one of the most insightful commentators on the left of British politics. This piece, on how Brexit has poisoned and disfigured the country's politics and body politic, is characteristically excellent.
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
As we say in the Old Country, 'it's a great day for the parish' to see an Irish person ascend to such a senior role in EU officialdom.
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Reposted by Owen Bennett
Joe O’Brien @pnamblath.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
#OTD 10 April 1998, the Good Friday Agreement was signed, marking a step towards ending decades of violence in Northern Ireland. #SpéirGhorm #speirgorm #IrishHistory
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Important news out of Strasbourg this morning for those of us tracking platform regulation macrotrends. The Council of Europe has officially endorsed its new recommendation on online safety and user empowerment. I have some thoughts on why it matters, here: www.linkedin.com/posts/owbenn...
linkedin.com
Important news out of Strasbourg this morning for those of us tracking platform regulation macrotrends ↩️ The Council of Europe has officially endorsed its new recommendation on online safety and… |...
Important news out of Strasbourg this morning for those of us tracking platform regulation macrotrends ↩️ The Council of Europe has officially endorsed its new recommendation on online safety and us...
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
An interesting reframing of the policy rationale for the AU social media ban, and one that lends itself more to the idea that the threat of bans should be negotiating leverage to extract child safety design concessions from companies. www.politico.eu/article/aust...
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Owen Bennett @owbennett.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
This is the least interesting but most compelling reason for why the DSA/DMA enforcement units of DG CNECT should be spun-out into an independent agency of the EU Commission. Too much institutional memory and regulatory expertise is put at unnecessary risk.
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