AND WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HIM?
I know, he looks boring, but he's in control of a lot of things that effect your life directly. So we've got rid of all the boring stuff but made a list of the stuff you need to know about this man who has A LOT of power.
Over here and across the pond there's a lot of talk about the future of the internet, things like net neutrality being debated heavily and confusing many.
Who is in charge of these decisions on our doorstep? It’s the little known Jeremy Wright, the man responsible for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which you might not even realise is a thing.
But he definitely deserves some scrutiny as the internet is becoming the battleground for privacy and freedom of speech, and it’s better to know the enemy before they put spy cams in every laptop of something equally dystopian. Here are the main things to keep in mind...
He’s a Tory
Just good to keep in mind, obviously as he’s part of the current administration, but it means he probably has little interest in the working class or anyone under the age of 45.
He voted for the Snoopers Charter
Remember when Theresa May was just doing irreparable damage to the country as the Home Secretary? The Snoopers Charter was one of her pet projects, which called for for the mass retention of information on people’s internet usage, and to allow the bulk interception of communications, equipment interference, and the retention and examination of bulk personal datasets. Basically the idea was the government could monitor even your social media if they wanted with very little oversight. The bill sat as a draft for several years after Nick Clegg withdrew his support (maybe the biggest impact he’s ever had as a politician, nice one) but a revised version is on the books ready to turn us into a Big Brother State. The long and the short of this is that Jeremy Wright wants to be able to see all the dick pics you send and receive. All of them.
He’s pro-Brexit
He’s voted against EU citizens rights to remain post-brexit as well. With the internet supposedly being a open and democratic space without nations, without borders, it’s worth knowing that the person looking after our portion of this space is against most of these values
He has little experience in the digital world
That’s not a joke about his age. He has a law background, which may be useful in providing more thorough legislation, but other than that he has no relevant credibility in his role, begging the question of why he was chosen. Although I suppose there’s only about three people left in the country who still have confidence in Theresa May, so they all have to pitch in doing whatever they can
He has a lot of work to do
The current legislation about digital rights, privacy and more are woefully out of date, and it is doing real damage. The arguments around revenge porn and up skirting are clear examples of how people are exploiting the cracks in our system, which needs to be updated for 2018 and beyond.
Jeremy Wright is actually really important to the future of our internet access, so keep an eye on him!
Written by Rebecca Sander
Website - www.bandasaur.co
Instagram - @bandasaur
Twitter - @bandasaurco
We want to hear from you! Let us know your thoughts below, tweet us at @eric_festival or instagram us at @ericfestival!