Reposted by Tim SquirrellInstitute for Public Policy Research @ippr.org · 27/08/2026Big tech dominance is stopping new ideas getting off the ground. More than a third of firms we surveyed had shelved a product because of a major tech company dominating the market. Stronger competition means more room to innovate and grow. Find out more at www.ippr.org/articles/bottleneck-britain 163
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 20/07/2026Guy who makes the podiums for Downing Street announcements here, can’t believe that Burnham is already putting people out of jobs 020
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 16/07/2026We’re hiring for the coolest job in tech campaigning - Co-Executive Director at @foxglovelegal.bsky.social! jobs.theguardian.com/job/10151645...jobs.theguardian.comCo-Executive Director (Maternity Cover) - UK-based, ideally London. Remote with international travel (approx. 20%). job with Foxglove | 10151645Seeking an experienced Exec Director with co-responsibility for our strategy, impact, advocacy, operations, fundraising and public facing work. 000
Reposted by Tim SquirrellClaes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · 10/07/2026🚨 NEWS: The European Commission finds addictive design of Instagram & Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act "Meta did not adequately assess the risks of its addictive design on the physical and mental wellbeing of users, including minors and vulnerable adults" ec.europa.eu/commission/p...ec.europa.euCommission preliminarily finds the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services ActToday, the European Commission preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act for the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook. 58748
Reposted by Tim SquirrellFoxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 10/07/2026ICYMI: Watch Foxglove's @marthadark.bsky.social explain how Palantir dug their way into the UK's health service - and why they shouldn't be there at all: 223
Reposted by Tim SquirrellFoxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Another headline "benefit" of Palantir's NHS contract is looking "increasingly flimsy", according to the @financialtimes.com. A claimed "15% reduction in discharge delays" may be a product of a "litany of errors" in record-keeping, according to at least 4 NHS trusts.: www.ft.com/content/977a...ft.comPro-Palantir data has litany of errors, English hospitals admitFour trusts confirm there were errors in underlying hospital data on discharge delays after FT probe 032
Reposted by Tim SquirrellMartha Dark @marthadark.bsky.social · 09/07/2026They're right. As they say: Palantir is a threat to public trust in healthcare, there are lots of UK alternatives and Palantir's stats on their kit aren't quite right. It's time to kick them out. Join @foxglovelegal.bsky.social & partners in the: No Palantir in Our NHS campaign. nopalantir.org.uknopalantir.org.ukNo Palantir in our NHSAdd your name now to call for US data company Palantir to be dropped from the NHS – and for the future of health data to keep faith with patient trust. 034
Reposted by Tim SquirrellMartha Dark @marthadark.bsky.social · 09/07/2026A second government committee (Health and Social Care Committee) is now calling on gov to exercise the break clause on the NHS Federated Data Platform contract with spy-tech firm Palantir. committees.parliament.uk/publications...committees.parliament.uk 136
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 09/07/2026BREAKING: a second select committee has called on the government to trigger the break clause in the NHS contract with Palantir. committees.parliament.uk/committee/81...committees.parliament.ukDrop Palantir’s Federated Data Platform and look for alternative, MPs tell Health Minister - Committees - UK ParliamentMPs have urged the government to cut ties with Palantir and the Federated Data Platform (FDP), and to begin looking for an alternative. 1199
Reposted by Tim SquirrellLizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 30/06/2026A quarter of terror attacks in Britain over the past decade have targeted Muslims, but some have gone largely unnoticed because of delays formally declaring them terrorism Most jihadist attacks, by contrast, have been declared within hours of taking place inews.co.uk/news/uk-terr...inews.co.ukThe UK terror attacks you don't hear about - and how they go under the radarSome incidents are not being confirmed as terrorism for up to nine months, leaving the public unaware about the threat on British streets 15805431
Reposted by Tim SquirrellMartha Dark @marthadark.bsky.social · 25/06/2026Amazing work from @tmsqrll.bsky.social @dncampbell.bsky.social & team @foxglovelegal.bsky.social this week. The NHS says its web page about the benefits of Palantir's NHS kit.. doesn't actually prove any benefits have been delivered to the NHS. Thank god £380mill of taxpayer money was spent on it... 075
Reposted by Tim SquirrellFoxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 25/06/2026NHS admits the 'Uptake and Benefits' page for the Federated Data Platform... does not in fact prove Palantir's kit has delivered any benefits to the NHS. We've written to Health Sec James Murray asking for an explanation. Great reporting from @laurahughesft.bsky.social: www.ft.com/content/9348...ft.com 156
Reposted by Tim SquirrellLighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · 18/06/2026Britain will use AI to assess ages of asylum seekers in a world-first, with other countries likely to follow suit But our investigation, based on a leaked report and our own algorithmic audit, finds the technology is deeply unreliablelighthousereports.comAsylum by AlgorithmThe UK has turned to AI to determine the age of asylum seekers, and other countries are likely to follow suit. Our investigation finds the technology is deeply unreliable. 27551
Reposted by Tim SquirrellLighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · 18/06/2026Two ex-scientific advisors to the Home Office have spoken out for the first time, saying they weren't consulted on the plans & have grave doubts Meanwhile an open letter to the Home Office by @fox-glove.bsky.social, @hrw.org & more calls for a halt to the rolloutfoxglove.org.ukFoxglove, Human Rights Watch and 60 other organisations write open letter to Government condemning Home Office border tool aimed at asylum-seeking childrenThis open letter has been prepared by Foxglove and Human Rights Watch. A full list of signatories can be found at the bottom of the page. 175
Reposted by Tim SquirrellMartha Dark @marthadark.bsky.social · 16/06/2026NEW: @foxglovelegal.bsky.social's investigation into the effectiveness of Palantir's kit for the NHS has been published in the @financialtimes.com today! www.ft.com/content/a3e9...ft.comPalantir NHS claims rely on just a few hospitalsData shows some trusts have delivered fewer operations since adopting the US company’s technology 154
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 16/06/2026Our investigation at @foxglovelegal.bsky.social found that nearly a third of NHS hospitals have delivered *fewer* operations since adopting Palantir’s Federated Data Platform, indicating its claimed benefits should come with a serious health warning. Exclusive in the FT. www.ft.com/content/a3e9...ft.comPalantir NHS claims rely on just a few hospitalsData shows some trusts have delivered fewer operations since adopting the US company’s technology 154
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 09/06/20263 weeks ago Ofcom put out a celebratory press release that X the everything app had agreed to try to follow the law. Right now if you search “Belfast” on X the everything app, the very top result is an uncensored video of an attempted beheading + call for mass deportation of “Africans”. 010
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 15/05/2026"X has finally pinky sworn that it will really try to follow the law about terrorist content" doesn't strike me as a stonking victory in the online harms arena www.theguardian.com/technology/2...theguardian.comX to block UK access to accounts linked to terrorist groups in Ofcom agreementMedia regulator announces commitments by Elon Musk’s platform to crack down on terrorist and hate content 011
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 10/05/2026Google have underestimated their planned data centres’ impact on the U.K. carbon budget by a factor of five. Thanks @aishadown.bsky.social for covering this @foxglovelegal.bsky.social find which has been driving me slightly insane ever since I noticed it. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...theguardian.comGoogle developers significantly misstate carbon emissions of proposed UK datacentresEmissions understated by factor of five in Essex plans for tech giant, while Greystoke’s Lincolnshire plans show similar error 042
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 29/04/2026truly devastating for the thousands of folks who were due to travel (or had already travelled) to Zambia for the world’s largest digital human rights conference. 023
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 27/04/2026One for the 'you couldn't make it up' pile: South Africa's govt has had to withdraw its draft AI Policy after it was found to include fictitious AI-generated citations apanews.net/south-africa...apanews.netSouth Africa withdraws AI policy after fictitious sources foundSouth Africa withdraws draft AI policy after investigations reveal the document contains fictitious academic sources. 010
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 26/04/2026Months of investigative work at @foxglovelegal.bsky.social, now covered in the Guardian, have led me to one inexorable conclusion: the government hasn’t a bloody clue what it’s doing about data centre carbon emissions. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...theguardian.comUK departments at odds over energy demands of AI datacentresDiscrepancy in forecasts raises questions over government planning for net zero 34231
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 30/03/2026After we @foxglovelegal.bsky.social worked with Carbon Brief to show the government’s data centres emissions projections were a fantasy, government responded by… deleting the projections and replacing them with a note that they are under “routine review”. So much for transparency. 063
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 28/03/2026seemingly massive turnout at the London march against the far right today. feels good to see so many people in this country still oppose fascism 0111
Reposted by Tim SquirrellFoxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 11/03/2026Foxglove's @tmsqrll.bsky.social: "In approving this monstrous data centre, the council failed to properly weigh the enormous harms to the environment of the sheer quantities of electricity this development will use [and] credulously accepted the developer’s incorrect figures" 021
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 11/03/2026Well the council approved the data centre unanimously. They seemed compelled by the argument that it will bring economic growth and jobs, and that if it’s not built here it will be somewhere else. It’s deeply disappointing they ignored the impacts it will have on the climate. 000
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 11/03/2026Speaking in opposition to this 1GW data centre at a planning committee today. So many things wrong with how they’re treating environmental impacts, but one especially sticks in the craw. Quick thread. www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...thetimes.comAI data centre to match carbon footprint of BA flightsPlanning documents for a £10 billion data centre project in Lincolnshire reveal its annual emissions will reach one million tonnes of carbon dioxide 111
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 09/03/2026get in losers, we’re doing the satanic panic again complete with credulous coverage that fails to ask the basic question of whether the people using ChatGPT for “therapy” are “recovering” real memories of satanic ritual abuse. sorry but this is terrible reporting www.theguardian.com/technology/2...theguardian.comChatGPT driving rise in reports of ‘satanic’ organised ritual abuse, UK experts sayExclusive: ‘Witchcraft, spirit possession and spiritual abuse’ offending typified by sexual abuse, violence and neglect 12613
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 26/02/2026Great description from @foxglovelegal.bsky.social here (if I do say so myself), "inviting in foxes to consult on the future of the henhouse" www.theguardian.com/technology/2...theguardian.comTreasury calls in Blair thinktank to advise on using AI across public servicesUnimpressed tech equity campaigners compare move to ‘inviting in foxes to consult on the future of the henhouse’ 032
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 21/02/2026UKTV Gold Fascism: neofascist aesthetics but for an audience of 70-something ex-pats living in Spain 041
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 11/02/2026Aside from anything else in this mess, it's galling to hear the co-founder of Childnet say "well we're an online safety organisation, *of course* we take money from Big Tech". That's not a given! You don't have to do that! www.theguardian.com/technology/2...theguardian.com‘It felt hypocritical’: child internet safety campaign accused of censoring teenagers’ speechesExclusive: Childnet, a UK charity part-funded by US tech firms, edited out warnings by two young speakers at its 2024 Safer Internet Day event 110
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 06/02/2026I also FOI'd this and received a response saying the info was already in the public domain, referencing a letter correcting the '10.8m families use X as their main news source' figure to '10.8m families use X'. No actual source for the figures. So good to finally get a source. Shame it's *X itself*. 120
Reposted by Tim SquirrellMike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 05/02/2026I just signed a petition calling for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm? Sign now: www.foxglove.org.uk/campaigns/ma...foxglove.org.ukThe Government must reveal all details of Peter Mandelson’s links to Palantir - FoxgloveSign the petition for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm? 19426216
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 04/02/2026Foxglove is calling on the government to expose the extent of Mandelson’s involvement in contracts awarded to Palantir. We know he may have leaked to Jeffrey Epstein. The public deserves to know if Palantir, a client of his consultancy, also benefited. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comMandelson’s links with US tech firm Palantir must be fully exposed, campaigners warnGovernment faces call for transparency on former peer’s involvement amid fears he may have leaked more sensitive information 010
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 04/02/2026do we prioritise the impending catastrophe that may make the planet inhospitable to life? or do we want these magic beans? for this government the choice is clear: beans, every time 001
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 03/02/2026Ofcom has just confirmed that xAI (and therefore the standalone Grok app) is not in scope for their investigation of X. They need to urgently rethink this: Grok produces sexualised images of people without their consent that can be easily shared and used for public humiliation. 411936
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 03/02/2026This quote from Kendall about AI is so telling. "If we can *show* that AI helps" -- not "if we can determine whether it helps". No curiosity about whether AI is a force for good or not, just zealous certainty that the people need to be made to see that it is. www.theguardian.com/business/202... 020
Reposted by Tim SquirrellNick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 03/02/2026A lot going on here and all ugly, but one thing I still can't get my head around is how any British government can do business with Thiel at this point. 27751253
Reposted by Tim SquirrellAndy Bruce (Reuters) @bruceandy.bsky.social · 03/02/2026‼️SPAIN'S PM SANCHEZ: SPAIN WILL BAN ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MINORS UNDER 16 ‼️SPAIN'S PM SANCHEZ: WE WILL CHANGE SPANISH LAW TO HOLD SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVES ACCOUNTABLE FOR ILLEGAL, HATEFUL CONTENT 1027356
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 02/02/2026We @foxglovelegal.bsky.social are supporting a second case against TikTok for union-busting. Very proud to be helping with this action. www.foxglove.org.uk/2026/02/02/p...foxglove.org.ukPress release: UK TikTok hit with second union-busting lawsuit in two months - FoxgloveSocial media giant TikTok has been hit with a second lawsuit alleging union-busting and unlawful redundancies in London, just weeks after the launch of a previous lawsuit by its former … 131
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 30/01/2026This piece by Rebecca Solnit is one of the most deeply moving explorations of what tech takes from us, how it transforms us, how it demands we become more like it and less human, that I've read www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...theguardian.comWhat technology takes from us – and how to take it back | Rebecca SolnitThe long read: Decisions outsourced, chatbots for friends, the natural world an afterthought: Silicon Valley is giving us life void of connection. There is a way out – but it’s going to take collectiv... 110728
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 29/01/2026Big win for @foxglovelegal.bsky.social and others as the CMA announces they intend to force Google to let publishers opt out of having their content used for AI *without being penalised in search*. This is what we've been asking for since last year. Cautiously optimistic. digiday.com/media/google...digiday.comGoogle’s forced AI opt out: what changes — and what doesn’t — for publishersPublishers want the CMA to impose structural remedies on Google versus behavioral ones, to address the enormous leverage the tech giant has. 041
Reposted by Tim SquirrellPress Gazette @pressgazette.co.uk · 28/01/2026The CMA has said publishers should be able to opt out of Google’s AI Overviews without it affecting how they appear in search The regulator also said the way Google decides how content is ranked in search results should be made “fair and transparent” pressgazette.co.uk/news/google-...pressgazette.co.ukCMA says UK publishers should be allowed to opt out of Google AI OverviewsThe CMA has said publishers should be able to opt out of Google AI Overviews without it affecting how they appear in search results. 056
Reposted by Tim SquirrellRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 23/01/2026If you're in London, last spots available for this event at Newspeak House with Noortje Marres Alex Taylor @tmsqrll.bsky.social Dominique Barron @halcyene.bsky.social Annie Radcliffe Yasmine Boudiaf and Mukul Patel, on AI infra in public spaces luma.com/p4fmir78 (cc @edsaperia.bsky.social)luma.comAI in the street: Lessons from everyday encounters with AI innovation · LumaWhat do smart bins, data centres, and delivery drones have in common — and how do everyday publics make sense of them? Join us at Newspeak House to explore AI… 075
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 22/01/2026🎉 UK govt today admitted a “serious error” in approving the hyperscale Woodlands data centre and said their decision should be “quashed”. Big win for @foxglovelegal.bsky.social and @globalactionplan.bsky.social. www.foxglove.org.uk/2026/01/22/u...foxglove.org.ukPress release: UK Government admits "serious error" in forcing through hyperscale data centre without environmental protectionsThis is the first time the UK government has admitted its decision to force through a new hyperscale data centre was wrong. It's a big win. 151
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 16/01/2026unfortunately I think this is going to be evergreen — “It’s now been revealed that one of the most shocking ChatGPT-linked suicides happened shortly after Sam Altman claimed on X that ChatGPT 4o was safe.” arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...arstechnica.comChatGPT wrote “Goodnight Moon” suicide lullaby for man who later killed himselfChatGPT used a man's favorite children's book to romanticize his suicide. 010
Reposted by Tim SquirrellRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 08/01/2026Come and join us for a fun early evening exploration of the AI in the Street project, feat. Yasmine Boudiaf, Mukul Patel, Noortje Marres, Alex Taylor, @halcyene.bsky.social @tmsqrll.bsky.social, Dominique Barron, Annie Radcliffe and me at Newspeak House luma.com/p4fmir78 1105
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 07/01/2026babe wake up OpenAI is appropriating feminist arguments about the invisibility of gendered domestic labour to tell you that ChatGPT, too, is undervalued www.ft.com/content/9c0e...ft.comAI will free households from chores and boost hidden productivity, says OpenAITools such as ChatGPT provide personal benefits that do not show up in traditional statistics, argues chief economist 030
Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 07/01/2026While I agree with the sentiment, the phrasing "what Grok is doing" gives too much agency to what is a sophisticated computer program. The responsibility lies with the owner of the system, i.e. Musk's xAI. 072
Reposted by Tim SquirrellLuke McGee @lukemcgee.bsky.social · 06/01/2026Interesting story here about how the myth of rising crime in London is linked to troll accounts publishing AI bullshit www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...standard.co.ukHow social media accounts are changing 'unsafe' London's narrative‘This isn’t about whether London is unsafe. It’s about how online narratives form, spread, and shape public perception’, says KCL expert Dr Mark J. Hill 12010