A digital strategy for everyone?

The government’s digital strategy launched today with a promise to make post-Brexit Britain “the best place to start and grow a digital business, trial a new technology, or undertake advanced research”. The focus is on skills and business practices and there are promises about connectivity, supporting innovation, and closing the digital divide.

But the strategy doesn’t reflect the fact that technology is now a part of everyday life for most people in Britain. And as such, we should be able to do more than just use it — we should be able to understand the impact it has on our lives and how we protect our privacy, safety, and rights.

A digital strategy for 2017 should be about deepening the whole country’s digital understanding and capability — transformation for all, not just a few.

Clear ethical policies and increased digital understanding for everyone should have a place in that strategy, alongside infrastructure and security.

At Doteveryone, we want to make this a reality. Our priorities for this year include improving the quality of digital leadership in government and business and a comprehensive research project to understand more about Britain’s digital attitudes. Innovation is important, but so is understanding the here and now.

And we’re not alone. Lots of other organisations are doing great work to make a strong digital Britain. Design studio IF are creating new patterns for better transparency and digital consumer rights; the Open Rights Group continue to lead the way around our rights and control of our data: and Raspberry Pi is widening engagement with creative technology.

As Karen Bradley noted in her ministerial forward, publishing this Strategy is just the beginning of work that will span many years and involve many partners.

We’re looking forward to working with government and our friends in the public and private sectors to build a Britain with useful, accountable, inclusive, and fair technology at its core.