Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure that government monitoring of public social media content does not infringe upon freedom of expression and privacy rights.

Government firmly believes that people must be able to debate and discuss issues freely. The rights of citizens freedom of expression and access to journalism are essential to any functioning democracy.

For example, the Department for Science Innovation & Technology’s National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) analyses social media to identify and assess potential information threats to UK public safety and national security. The NSOIT’s commitment to protecting freedom of expression is embedded in its compliance policies and practices which are available on GOV.UK.