Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the remit is of the (a) Information Commissioner's Office and (b) Ofcom for algorithmic recommender systems on social media.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Information Commissioner’s Office enforces the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Organisations that process personal data through algorithmic recommender systems are subject to the requirements of the data protection legislation.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom can require social media providers to take proportionate steps relating to the design of their service, to help keep users safe. This includes steps relating to content recommender systems.
Both regulators have various audit and enforcement tools, such as the ability to request information from individuals and issue monetary penalties for non-compliance.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what data his Department holds on the numbers of (a) residential customers and (b) business customers that have moved from a PSTN telephone connection to a VOIP connection (i) when their contract expired (II) at the scheduled PSTN switch-off for their area (iii) for any reason in the last 12 months.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department does not hold this specific information on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) migration to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Ofcom’s Connected Nations (2024) report (published 5 December 2024) states: “In the year to July 2024, 1.8 million residential customers who previously had a PSTN line migrated to a VoIP service. 53% (970,000 lines) of these were as a result of a provider-led migration, while the remaining 47% (870,000 lines) were as a result of customer-led migrations.”
The Department separately holds some information on the number of remaining PSTN lines and the number of migrations per quarter for the larger communications providers. As of December 2024, there were circa 6.5 million active PSTN lines remaining.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of consumers being required to move to a VOIP connection for a new contract on market competition.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is committed to supporting a pro-competition environment in the broadband sector.
The transition to VOIP is being led by industry. The Department is engaging with Ofcom to ensure that the long-term process does not have an adverse impact on wholesale competition.