UK’s Media Censorship Board Fails to Clinch Cooperation With Big Tech
This illustration photograph taken on October 30, 2023, shows the Meta (former Facebook) logo on a smartphone in Mulhouse, eastern France. 
Oleg BurunovThe Defense and Security Media Advisory Committee is tasked with overseeing voluntary codes between UK government departments that have responsibility for national security and the media.US tech giants, including Google, Meta* and X (formerly Twitter), are refusing to cooperate with the UK’s independent Defense and Security Media Advisory (DSMA) Committee, the country’s media censorship board, Politico has reported.DSMA notice secretary and former military diplomat Geoffrey Dodds told the news outlet that the group “has been trying to break into” Big Tech, but to no avail.
The tech giants “won’t have anything to do with us at the moment for their own reasons,” Dodds added.
AnalysisBans, Bucks & Bureaucracy: Twitter Files Co-Author Taibbi on Big Tech’s Collusion With Feds7 February 2023, 15:13 GMTDSMA notices, which are not legally binding, urge media outlets not to publish information that could potentially harm national security. These D-notices are rarely refused, given the “lingering threat of prosecution under the Official Secrets Act and the recently enacted National Security Act,” according to Politico.
The DSMA-notice format pertains to five core areas, which are military operations or capabilities, the disclosure of weapons systems, counter-terrorist forces, physical property and assets plus personnel and their families who work in sensitive positions.
Dodds. meanwhile, explained that the rise of digital news platforms had prompted a shift in the committee’s strategy. He underscored the UK media censorship board’s intent to adapt to the changing landscape by engaging directly with technology companies, not least Big Tech.
AmericasHow US Big Tech is Swarmed With Ex-Spooks & Why This Rings Alarm Bells25 January 2023, 18:09 GMTAlthough the group claims to be independent from the UK government, it is currently run by Paul Wyatt, the Ministry of Defense (MoD)’s director general for security policy.Additionally, the committee includes government members hailing from the Foreign Office, Cabinet Office, MoD and the Home Office, and the meetings take place in the MoD. The organization also comprises retired military officers and representatives from the UK’s key media houses, such as Sky, the BBC, and the Times.*banned in Russia as an extremist organization
