Written evidence submitted by Darren Smith

• What has been or will be the most important impacts of increasingly prevalent smart and connected technology in our lives, including in the home, in the workplace and in our towns and cities, and are they necessarily better than current systems?

The ability for present and future governments, mega-corporations that act as governments, and world governance organisations to completely control every aspect of an individual’s life. Everything this country has fought for over centuries, and was a shining beacon of freedom and the rule of law for all, is being taken apart piece by piece.

‘The internet of everything’ or the fourth industrial revolution, aka the great reset, aka the metaverse etc. will strip individuals of the right to choose and privacy. Digital communism, which should abhor any right-thinking Briton without alarmism.

• Are there any groups in society who may particularly benefit from or be vulnerable to the increasing prevalence of smart technology, such as young or elderly people, people with disabilities and people likely to be digitally excluded?

The only ones who will benefit will be those who created it and control more and more of it through ownership of the major platforms and engines. Everyone else will suffer in the end. The old, the young, the poor, sick, disabled and anyone not able to earn independently will all be even more indentured to the system than they already are. Is Britain a nation that promotes freedom of the individual, and the ability of anyone who works for it the fruits of their labour and ingenuity? Because the IoT will not allow that. Can someone explain why my fridge needs to be connected to the internet?

• How can we incentivise or encourage design that is safe, secure, environmentally- and user-friendly and human rights compliant?

By introducing legislation that is pretty much the opposite of the current Online Harms Bill. It is clear Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others are the public square online, but because they are private corporations they are under no obligation to allow freedom of speech, thus leaving the digital world open to serious political bias, censorship and the removal of free debate which is the only path to creating a better world for all.

These corporations must not be allowed to control what speech is allowable beyond that which the law already prevents. Currently, we are moving to consolidate their power, and remove what the U.S. Constitution framers put at the top of the list.

• What are the key short- and long-term risks and threats, and how can we ensure the devices, systems and networks of individuals, businesses and organisations are digitally-literate and cyber secure?

You’re talking about security – everything is backdoored, everything is open to the key players in the digital infrastructure – this is especially true in the U.S. where Israeli tech companies have been stealing tech secrets for decades, passing them on to Russia and China.

We should stick with filing cabinets and physical security – it got us through two wars.

• How will current geopolitical concerns influence domestic consumers, e.g. regarding standards of imported goods or in how we can deal with cyber threats?

‘The world is a business, Mr. Beale’ – the central bankers control the world, which is why most governments are now acting in lockstep, and with the WHO pandemic treaty aiming to enshrine this in 23/24, we do hope MPs and others who can make a difference will wake up and stop these things happening.

• Do existing frameworks, like data protection legislation and the Public Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, adequately address concerns with smart technology, and if not, how could they be changed?

Smart technology should simply be called spy technology. We are sleepwalking into a digital prison where Orwell’s nightmare of 1984 will come true in technicolour. You are always free the day before you are locked up. The internet is a useful communications and information tool – beyond that it should not go; no one is voting for any of this – to be spied on , monitored, controlled and told what to do – but it is happening regardless and only a few are aware and trying to do anything about it. Isn’t it time you did?

Regards,

Darren Smith,

The Light Paper

https://thelightpaper.co.uk