Damian Collins, Former UK Conservative Minister, Joins our Centre as a Senior Fellow
Damian Collins, OBE, speaking at our conference dedicated to online child safety this past September in Toronto.
DEC. 13, 2024 – We’re pleased to welcome Damian Collins, OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) – a former Conservative Party politician from the UK and a leader in digital policy – as a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy. He brings extensive experience in issues like online safety, disinformation and Big Tech accountability; his fellowship with us is part of international efforts to collectively tackle these issues.
Collins will analyse different legislative approaches around the world to regulating large tech platforms, and will share his insights and expertise at a time when Canada is attempting to establish its own regulatory regime. He will also build connections between researchers, policy makers and industry, to drive actionable solutions.
As the UK’s former Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, he worked on initiatives related to online harms, digital competition, and AI safety. From 2016 to 2019, he chaired the House of Commons Select Committee for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, overseeing inquiries into social media disinformation and the impact of addictive technologies. Collins launched and was co-Chair of the International Grand Committee on Disinformation and Fake News, working closely with members of the Canadian House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. Under his leadership, they convened over 30 parliamentarians from more than a dozen countries to hold Big Tech companies to account. In 2021, he also chaired the UK Parliament Joint Committee on the Draft Online Safety Bill.
Collins joins the Centre with a strong belief in the need for global cooperation on digital safety.
“My concern about safety online for children comes from my work in the UK parliament, but also as a father. I have two teenage children — so I'm concerned, like all parents are, about what they see online.”
“The Canadian government is doing the right thing trying to bring forward its own Online Harms Act,” he said. “We need legislation to set minimum standards for online safety.”
Media Contact:
Isabelle Corriveau
Senior Manager, Public Outreach and Communications, Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy
isabelle.corriveau2@mcgill.ca
