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socialnewsdesk.com
We’re excited to join local government leaders at #ICMA2025 (Oct 25–29)!

Come chat with the SND team about smarter, safer social media for government. 💬

#LocalGov #GovComms #SocialNewsDesk
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October 9, 2025 at 2:15 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Digital IDs 'dead in the water in six months' as opposition mounts www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/... (£)

Comments from the genius who reportedly "invented the modern-day system of government communications, known as 'the grid'" in Tony Blair's No 10.

#digitalID #govcomms
Plans for mandatory digital IDs will be "dead in the water" in six months in the face of mounting opposition to the plans, Sir Keir Starmer has been warned. Labour has failed to challenge conspiracy theories or to convince millions of people that the requirement for all workers to have cards will curb illegal migration, Peter Hyman has said.
September 30, 2025 at 7:46 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Guido Fawkes has picked this up …

EXC: Ofcom Spends More Than a Million to Propagandise Online Safety Act order-order.com/2025/09/26/e...

#OnlineSafetyAct #FOI #govcomms #influencers
owenboswarva.bsky.social Owen Boswarva @owenboswarva.bsky.social · Sep 25
UK regulator Ofcom spent more than £1.1 million on communications related to the Online Safety Act, in the period from February 2024 to July 2025 www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/r... + www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/r...

#FOI #govcomms #influencers
This activity involved: ● Working with M&C Saatchi and Archetype to deliver B2B campaigns targeting regulated services to drive awareness and promote compliance with their requirements under the OSA; ● Working with M&C Saatchi and influencers (Anna Whitehouse, Nilly Dahlia, Lee Chisholm, Claire Warren) to raise awareness of and build confidence in the OSA among UK parents; ● Working with M&C Saatchi and influencers (Olivia Bentley, Ben Hurst, Olly Bowman, Sophia Smith Galer, Adam Beales) to deliver a campaign to raise awareness of and build confidence in age-assurance rules coming into effect among UK adults; ● Working with Eleven to raise awareness of the protection of children code measures under the OSA among UK teenagers; ● Partnerships with Mumsnet and influencers (Mylene Klass, Anna Whitehouse and Dr Martha Deiros Collado) to raise awareness of the protection of children code measures under the OSA; and ● An influencer partnership (Cally Jane-Beech) to promote our proposed guidance on protecting women and girls online. Taken together, these campaigns and content have achieved around 30 million impressions online (the amount of times posts have appeared in people’s social media feeds).
September 26, 2025 at 1:56 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
UK regulator Ofcom spent more than £1.1 million on communications related to the Online Safety Act, in the period from February 2024 to July 2025 www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/r... + www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/r...

#FOI #govcomms #influencers
This activity involved: ● Working with M&C Saatchi and Archetype to deliver B2B campaigns targeting regulated services to drive awareness and promote compliance with their requirements under the OSA; ● Working with M&C Saatchi and influencers (Anna Whitehouse, Nilly Dahlia, Lee Chisholm, Claire Warren) to raise awareness of and build confidence in the OSA among UK parents; ● Working with M&C Saatchi and influencers (Olivia Bentley, Ben Hurst, Olly Bowman, Sophia Smith Galer, Adam Beales) to deliver a campaign to raise awareness of and build confidence in age-assurance rules coming into effect among UK adults; ● Working with Eleven to raise awareness of the protection of children code measures under the OSA among UK teenagers; ● Partnerships with Mumsnet and influencers (Mylene Klass, Anna Whitehouse and Dr Martha Deiros Collado) to raise awareness of the protection of children code measures under the OSA; and ● An influencer partnership (Cally Jane-Beech) to promote our proposed guidance on protecting women and girls online. Taken together, these campaigns and content have achieved around 30 million impressions online (the amount of times posts have appeared in people’s social media feeds).
September 25, 2025 at 8:36 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Memorandum of Understanding between US and UK regarding the Technology Prosperity Deal www.gov.uk/government/n...

MOU will "usher in the next Golden Age of Innovation to fortify freedom and prosperity for generations to come"

#techpolicy #govcomms #goldleaf
This MOU does not constitute or create and is not intended to constitute or create any legally binding obligations. Nothing in this MOU is intended to alter or affect any existing agreements between the Participants. Cooperation under this MOU is intended to take place within the framework of applicable national legislation and international obligations. Nothing in this MOU commits the participants to the expenditure of funds.
September 18, 2025 at 2:53 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
MoD staff warned not to share hidden data before Afghan leak www.bbc.com/news/article...

#FOI release: ICO record of MOD data breach plus internal comms (redacted) with lines to take ico.org.uk/about-the-ic...

#afghandatabreach #dataprotection #govcomms
Shortly after the MoD became aware of the data breach in 2023, they informed the UK's data regulator, the ICO. The two bodies held a number of secret meetings over the next two years and documents published by the regulator reveal some of what was discussed. They say that government officials described the leak as likely "the most expensive email ever sent", and internal emails also show that ICO staff raised concerns about why the body had chosen not to independently investigate the MoD or issue a fine.
August 28, 2025 at 10:45 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
UK Labour is gaming the NHS #waitinglist data:

Why is the planned care waiting list coming down and what does the data really tell us? www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/wh... from @nuffieldtrust.org.uk's Quality Watch project

HSJ (£) www.hsj.co.uk/quality-and-...

#NHSdata #opendata #govcomms
Over time, the balance between new referrals and completed patient pathways affects the size of the waiting list. If more people are referred than treated, the list grows. Changes in this balance can speed up or slow down that growth. Removals of still incomplete pathways from the list, which go unreported, reduce the total size of the waiting list. During periods when new patients waiting for treatment far outnumbered these removals, their effect was more hidden. But as the list grew more slowly, they began to have a more noticeable impact. Since September 2023, this shift has helped the NHS get control of the waiting list, even while according to its own data it is still treating fewer patients than are being referred.
August 15, 2025 at 7:21 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
UK Government departments regularly put out blog posts like this for "rebuttal of inaccurate comment" and they never link to the media reporting they are talking about. That always makes me think the purpose is political coverage rather than neutral factchecking or public information. #govcomms
August 6, 2025 at 12:42 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Keep mashing the big button, might work, who knows

Farage would enable 'modern-day Jimmy Saviles', says Jess Phillips www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/... (£)

#OnlineSafetyAct #govcomms
August 3, 2025 at 11:13 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
The Telegraph says it has established that Peter Kyle's attack yesterday linking Nigel Farage to Jimmy Savile "was not a slip of the tongue, but a line cleared in advance by Downing Street" www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

#OnlineSafetyAct #openweb #censorship #govcomms
But rather than retracting the accusation, Labour doubled down. Reliable surrogates of the party leadership posted online graphics of Mr Farage, with the caption that his party “would scrap laws keeping children safe online”. Mr Kyle himself posted: “If you want to overturn the Online Safety Act, you are on the side of predators. It is as simple as that.” The Telegraph has established that the minister’s attack linking Mr Farage to Savile was not a slip of the tongue, but a line cleared in advance by Downing Street and given to Mr Kyle for the morning round of broadcast interviews.
July 30, 2025 at 1:52 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Labour says Farage's plan to repeal Online Safety Act suggests he is siding with pornographers and paedophiles www.theguardian.com/politics/liv... (UK)

Peter Kyle is a liability.

#OnlineSafetyAct #openweb #censorship #govcomms
Peter Kyle, the science secretary, has been giving interviews this morning, and he has not held back. In an interview with Sky News, he claimed this meant that Nigel Farage was now in effect siding with pornographers and paedophiles like Jimmy Savile. He explained: Children under 18 should not be viewing involuntarily dangerous, hateful, violent, misogynistic and pornographic material. People have to understand the wild west [lasted on the internet] for too long. That ended on my watch. It ended on the watch of this government. [The implementation of the Online Safety Act is] a big step forward. Believe me, anyone that thinks it’s a step back needs to come and answer now. I see that Nigel Farage is already saying that he’s going to overturn these laws. So we have people out there who are extreme pornographers, peddling hate, peddling violence. Nigel Farage is on their side. Make no mistake about it. If people like Jimmy Savile were alive today, he’d be perpetrating his crimes online. And Nigel Farage is saying that he’s on their side, not the side of children. When Wilfred Frost, the presenter, challenged Kyle, and asked if it was he was seriously saying that Farage was aligned with the likes of Jimmy Savile, Kyle doubled down.
July 29, 2025 at 8:39 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Another successful exchange of press releases, good to see www.gov.uk/government/n... + openai.com/global-affai...

#govtech #govcomms 🤝
July 22, 2025 at 7:23 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Press release from @london.gov.uk‬ says the new Data for London Library "replaces the London Datastore" www.london.gov.uk/Mayor%20of%2... + dfl.london.gov.uk/library

But @ldndata.bsky.social‬ says "We're not turning off the Datastore in the near future!"

#govtech #datadiscovery #opendata #govcomms
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched the Data for London Library, a cutting-edge new platform that will transform how London collects, shares and uses data to improve public services, unlock growth and create a more inclusive, sustainable city. Launched during the biggest ever London Data Week, the Library is part of the Mayor’s ambitious Data for London programme and marks a major milestone in the evolution of London’s data infrastructure. It replaces the London Datastore, which was first launched in 2010 and at the time was one of the world’s earliest and most innovative open data platforms.
July 8, 2025 at 12:05 PM
flyingrodent.bsky.social
He’s automating the long-existing process, then
Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social • 3m As someone who has spent quite a bit of time looking at the synthetic voter literature, my take on this is that Morgan McSweeney is planning on getting his advice from a convex combination of existing newspaper articles. Owen Boswarva @owenbo... • 48m Morgan McSweeney (UK Labour's Dominic Cummings knock-off) is reportedly experimenting with 'synthetic voters' - "essentially fake focus groups of Al voters who can tell ministers more quickly and cheaply what the public thinks of policies" www.spectator.co.uk/article/can-… #govtech #govcomms McSweeney is exercised by the fact that the civil service has 7,000 communications officers, 4,500 of whom work for arm's-length bodies and quangos and frequently attack what the government is trying to do. Like Dominic Cummings, he is enthused by the possibilities of technology to speed change, such as Al in the NHS or gamers being hired by the Ministry of Defence to fly drones. He is now experimenting with 'synthetic voters' - essentially fake focus groups of Al voters who can tell ministers more quickly and cheaply what the public thinks of policies. In the last week he has been reading The Technological Republic by Alexander Karp, co-founder of the tech firm Palantir, which argues that the West's technical dominance over the past century has been down to collaboration between governments and tech firms
July 3, 2025 at 12:03 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Morgan McSweeney (UK Labour's Dominic Cummings knock-off) is reportedly experimenting with 'synthetic voters' – "essentially fake focus groups of AI voters who can tell ministers more quickly and cheaply what the public thinks of policies" www.spectator.co.uk/article/can-...

#govtech #govcomms
McSweeney is exercised by the fact that the civil service has 7,000 communications officers, 4,500 of whom work for arm's-length bodies and quangos and frequently attack what the government is trying to do. Like Dominic Cummings, he is enthused by the possibilities of technology to speed change, such as AI in the NHS or gamers being hired by the Ministry of Defence to fly drones. He is now experimenting with 'synthetic voters' – essentially fake focus groups of AI voters who can tell ministers more quickly and cheaply what the public thinks of policies. In the last week he has been reading The Technological Republic by Alexander Karp, co-founder of the tech firm Palantir, which argues that the West’s technical dominance over the past century has been down to collaboration between governments and tech firms.
July 3, 2025 at 11:14 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
GOV​.UK is now GOV·UK

Brand Guidelines www.gov.uk/government/p...

(152 MB PDF. Start as you mean to go on, GDS.)

#govtech #govcomms #designwank
The Dot Our dot is the bridge between government and the UK, by the side of users to help make information and services easier and more useful. Used within our wordmark and as a graphic device across all GOV.UK channels, the dot is a guiding hand, for life. GOV·UK
June 25, 2025 at 5:49 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
TIL the Environment Agency for England is encouraging people to interact with street objects like bus stops, parking meters and benches www.gov.uk/algorithmic-... + engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/citizen-scie...

(Piloted in 2022, so not a new thing.)

#HelloLampPost #genAI #govcomms
The purpose of this engagement is to share information with members of the public in specific locations about the role of the Environment Agency, the benefits our assets provide, information about specific schemes, and to engage them in a conversation about resilience and adaptation to flooding and coastal change in line with the national Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management strategy. It has also seen use within the Water, Land and Biodiversity side of the Environment Agency for similar engagement reasons. We are using the tool to help reduce our spend on engagement activities by replacing some traditional forms of engagement where appropriate, consequently reducing the carbon footprint of our engagement works.
June 5, 2025 at 1:05 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Public urged to report suspected waste crime as new heatmaps published www.gov.uk/government/n... press release from the Environment Agency (England)

Where have these heatmaps been published, though? Doesn't say. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#wastecrime #opengov #datadiscovery #govcomms
Amid a government clampdown on rogue waste operators to clean up Britain’s streets, the Environment Agency has today (Wednesday 28 May) published new heatmaps showing the densest areas of waste crime reports in England. Across England, 16,773 reports of suspected waste crime were submitted from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024. The maps show the highest number of reports were concentrated in the West Midlands (2,008 reports), Yorkshire (1,791 reports) and East Anglia (1,678 reports). With the data demonstrating that criminals blighting towns, cities and countryside are active across the country, the Environment Agency is urging the public to report more suspected offending as it looks to shut rogue operators out of the waste industry for good.
May 28, 2025 at 12:03 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Coverage of UK courts threatening to become state-sponsored monopoly pressgazette.co.uk/news/one-sid...

#openjustice #courtreporting #govcomms
Jon Harris, of Manchester-based Cavendish Press, fears freelance reporters covering court cases will be put out of business due to regional and national news organisations prioritising police handouts over professional reporting in their pursuit of free content. Police press releases sent out after guilty verdicts are returned are oftened pre-written and ready to go meaning they can beat court reporters to the story. But they only offer one side of cases and may only be sent after successful prosecutions. Cavendish accused police press officers of "a state sponsored abuse of power" by effectively doing the job of journalists for them at the expense of independent reporting.
May 19, 2025 at 10:48 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Kyle not a moron, glad we've cleared that up www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

#DUABill #DataBill #genAI #IPlaw #techpolicy #govcomms
Nick Thomas-Symonds, a Cabinet Office minister, told the same programme the Government had "two objectives" of supporting both the cultural sector and AI development. "The Government is trying to find a way forward that is both dealing with the very real concerns that have been raised, quite passionately, in the cultural sector but also making sure that we maintain the world leading position in AI," he said. On the suggestion that Mr Kyle is a "moron", Mr Thomas-Symonds said he "profoundly disagreed" and that the Tech Secretary is "doing a fantastic job".
May 18, 2025 at 1:20 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Lol press release now updated www.gov.uk/government/n...

#genAI #govAI #govcomms
Screenshot of tweet by Jon Stone @joncstone "Downing Street press release claims ethanol is used to make beer? this has google AI search result hallucination written all over it" with an image of a Downing Street press release containing the line "We will also remove the tariff on ethanol — which is used to produce beer - coming into the UK from the US, down to zero."
May 9, 2025 at 9:10 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Some bad press at the moment, but I'm confident ONS's reputation will recover once it starts to produce evidence that Labour's economic policies are working.

Cabinet Office to scrutinise failings of UK's official data provider ONS www.ft.com/content/b8db... (£)

#livingstandards #opendata #govcomms
One of the government's most senior civil servants has been tasked with getting to the bottom of the problems with data produced by the Office for National Statistics, as concern grows in Westminster about the reliability of the numbers used to steer the UK economy.  Pat McFadden, the Cabinet Office minister, has asked his top official Cat Little to look into the performance of the ONS amid fears that chancellor Rachel Reeves has been left flying blind as she draws up her plans for the economy. One ally of Reeves said: "There's frustration that we are taking economic decisions when the data is wrong. It’s a bit of a problem, to put it mildly."
March 31, 2025 at 4:20 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
DWP has made a stealth edit to a page on GOV​.UK, removing a claim that there has been a 319% rise in people claiming out-of-work disability benefits www.gov.uk/government/n... vs webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/202503...

HT www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-refuses-...

#govcomms #opengov
Quote from erroneous DWP press release: Data also shows the number of working-age people on the health element of Universal Credit or claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA) has risen to 3.1 million, a staggering 319% increase since the pandemic, reflecting the alarming rate at which young and working aged people are increasingly falling out of work and claiming incapacity benefits.
March 14, 2025 at 8:39 PM
launchtheory.bsky.social
The Top 5 Challenges in Digital Government Communication

At Launch Theory we stay tuned into challenges in Government Digital Communication. Offer your challenges in the comments.
www.launchtheory.com
#DigitalGovernment#GovComms#PublicEngagement#CrisisCommunication#SocialMediaStrategy
Government Digital Communication Challenges. Launch Theory Logo
March 4, 2025 at 3:05 PM
namesbluemedia.bsky.social
The NAGC Board has adopted a 5-year Strategic Plan to drive growth & innovation in government communications.

🔹 Enhancing member engagement & retention
🔹 Ensuring sustainable growth & operational excellence
🔹 NAGC as a leader in GovComms education

#NamesBlueMedia #GovernmentCommunications #NAGC
February 27, 2025 at 3:30 AM