Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment the have made of the impact of the delay in implementing sections 61 to 65, 67 and 70 to 74 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 upon (1) mobile connectivity, (2) data poverty, and (3) regional digital inclusion; and how they plan to mitigate such impacts.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to implementing all remaining provisions of the Product Security and Telecommunications Act 2022 as soon as possible. These measures will help deliver the benefits of advanced digital connectivity.
Most provisions have already been implemented. Those remaining are complex and technical. The Department will bring forward a consultation on the implementation of sections 61 to 64, including transitional provisions, as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the specific causes for the delay in implementing sections 61 to 65, 67 and 70 to 74 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022; and what steps are being taken to address them.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to implementing all remaining provisions of the Product Security and Telecommunications Act 2022 as soon as possible. These measures will help deliver the benefits of advanced digital connectivity.
Most provisions have already been implemented. Those remaining are complex and technical. The Department will bring forward a consultation on the implementation of sections 61 to 64, including transitional provisions, as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to implement sections 61 to 65, 67 and 70 to 74 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to implementing all remaining provisions of the Product Security and Telecommunications Act 2022 as soon as possible. These measures will help deliver the benefits of advanced digital connectivity.
Most provisions have already been implemented. Those remaining are complex and technical. The Department will bring forward a consultation on the implementation of sections 61 to 64, including transitional provisions, as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) education technology service providers and (2) education technology solutions the Information Commissioner's Office has audited in the past five years; and what plans they have to make the findings available to the public.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 4th December to Question UIN HL2699. The ICO continue to proactively audit the use of personal data in the edtech sector where evidence supports it. The ICO have audited 10 EdTech service providers, with confirmed plans to audit a further seven, as well as planning to request further information from other providers to support their audit findings.
In respect to the second part of his question, common findings and examples are anonymised and will be published after all audits with service providers are completed. Publication decisions on individual audit findings attributed to named service providers is decided on a case-by-case basis, generally with their consent.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the position set out in Ofcom's consultation on protecting children from harms online, published in May, that there is "currently limited independent evidence on the capability of current age assurance methods to correctly distinguish between child users of different ages to a highly effective standard, without disproportionately affecting children’s rights", and that its focus is therefore currently on "establishing recommended protections for all children under the age of 18, rather than tailoring those protections for children in different age groups", in the light of (1) the findings of the benchmarking of facial age estimation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which concluded that this approach is effective at ascertaining the ages of people under 18; and (2) the audits by the Age Check Certification Scheme of 11 age estimation providers.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is for Ofcom to recommend the types of age assurance that it considers to be highly effective for services to meet their duties under the Online Safety Act. Ofcom must ensure guidance is legally robust and based on sufficient evidence to ensure it withstands challenge.
Age assurance methods are developing rapidly and there are a growing range of tools to support children to have a safe and age-appropriate experience online. We welcome research that contributes to the evidence base which may help Ofcom expand the list of recommended technologies in future iterations of the guidance.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many education technology (EdTech) service providers the Information Commissioner's Office has audited in the last five years; and whether they will publish the names of the organisations and any findings.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The ICO have audited 10 EdTech service providers, have confirmed plans to audit a further seven, and will be requesting further information from other providers to support their audit findings. Common findings and examples are anonymised and will be published after all audits with service providers are completed. Publication decisions on individual audit findings attributed to named service providers is decided on a case-by-case basis, generally with their consent.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cybersecurity risks posed by prompt injection attacks to the processing by generative artificial intelligence of material provided from outside government, and whether any such attacks have been detected thus far.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Security is central to HMG's Generative AI Framework, which was published in January this year and sets out principles for using generative AI safely and responsibly. The risks posed by prompt injection attacks, including from material provided outside of government, have been assessed as part of this framework and are continually reviewed. The published Generative AI Framework for HMG specifically includes Prompt Injection attacks, alongside other AI specific cyber risks.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Digital Voice switchover in the first areas of rollout is proceeding in accordance with any undertakings by BT, particularly in terms of communication with regard to: adequate notice to customers, ability to opt out, alternatives to switchover offered and delivered, electric power availability, quality of connection, and clarity about equipment to be provided.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
BT are a signatory of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) charter, committing them to protect vulnerable users during the migration. BT, along with other communication providers, are not proactively switching customers to Digital Voice unless they have not used their landline for at least 12 months, though customers can choose to switch at any time. BT provide their customers with at least four weeks of notice, and ensure they have the necessary quality of connection prior to migration. BT does not provide electricity but provide in-home solutions that customers can use in the event of a power outage.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the UK's cloud hosting industry, in line with their aspiration to attain sovereign capability within the UK's cloud networks.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience and fostering diverse growth and innovation of UK data infrastructure, including cloud services.
The government recently designated data centres and cloud infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), recognising their fundamental importance to the UK and the digital economy. This will ensure that the UK is a safe place to develop and invest in data infrastructure.
The government continues to engage with the whole sector to enable and promote a level playing field, where UK cloud hosting providers have equity of access to the public sector cloud market.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure supplier diversity and resilience in the UK’s cloud infrastructure.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience and fostering diverse growth and innovation of UK data infrastructure, including cloud services.
The government recently designated data centres and cloud infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), recognising their fundamental importance to the UK and the digital economy. This will ensure that the UK is a safe place to develop and invest in data infrastructure.
The government continues to engage with the whole sector to enable and promote a level playing field, where UK cloud hosting providers have equity of access to the public sector cloud market.