Congratulations Rachel

Clarifying Mutual Consent’s Role in Agency Law Abstract. Important cases and academic commentators have suggested that the mutual consent of principal and agent is necessary for actual authority to be c

My article on the role of mutual consent justifications in agency law now out in the OJLS, available open access!

academic.oup.com/ojls/article...

No great surprise but it seems officially that the AI Liability Directive is now about as lively as Mr Praline's Norwegian Blue.

Which of these is "Silicon Valley"? (NB! This is only internet/Web technology)

Some of the arguments here around AI are remarkably similar to the ones around cognitive enhancers discussed by Goold & Maslen in this classic Modern Law Review paper - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

I suspect in a 10-15 year window we will be having an AI in the Public Sector Inquiry which will make Post Office Horizons look insignificant.

These safeguards would cost a fraction of the savings that will be made but I strongly suspect that the roll-out programme will be done with disregard for these guardrails. Savings not safety seem to be the order of the day.

Automated Public Decision Making and the Need for Regulation | LSE Public Policy Review The LSE Public Policy Review is an open-access, refereed journal which is published quarterly. Each issue is thematic and concentrates on a key topic at the heart of current debates in public policy. ...

The AI Opportunities Action Plan is what I expect of a government chasing public sector savings and economic growth. But, I wrote last year why adopting AI in public services without guardrails was dangerous and suggested a simple set of safeguards to be adopted. ppr.lse.ac.uk/articles/10....

Some of the obscene images in the bike porn thread.

But remember as the government said the "Online Safety Act makes the UK the safest place in the world to be online". We will be safe from discussions on fixed gear cycling. Really though it is LFGSS's own fault - they do have a section on "bike porn" so it clearly needed to be regulated.

When the Online Safety Act was proposed, @cps.org.uk and others warned about the potential chilling effects, reaching way beyond the big tech companies. Cue random cycling forum shutting down (and investors steering clear of UK...) www.lfgss.com/conversation...

And so it begins. 24950 (give or take a few) UK providers who are not big tech, do not run on algorithms, and were ignored by the legislators who rammed this through. Someone once said, if you legislate as if everyone is big tech, big tech is all you will end up with. #OnlineSafetyAct

Anthropic’s Dario Amodei: Democracies must maintain the lead in AI Co-founder of leading AI start-up sees potential to help free states counter autocracies, as well as exploring biological complexity

Fascinating interview with Anthropic’s Dario Amodei which gets into where we are on agentic AI, if we’ll run out of data to train models on, and the relationship of AI to the defence industry on.ft.com/4fYFhYe

This morning brings the first sighting of a suggestion by one of its supporters that the #OnlineSafetyAct may not be “fit for purpose”. Who’d have thought it? www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/is-ofco...

Seeing as people seem to be starting to celebrate (sic) the first birthday of the #OnlineSafetyAct a day early, a short thread.🧵

A New Era in Global Biodiversity Finance - The Cali Fund The Cali Fund – A New Era in Global Biodiversity Finance

It took a while for me to report on our work at #COP16 and how the 'LSE Model' came to be at the heart of the Cali Fund - which potentially ushers in a new era in Global Biodiversity Finance.

www.lse.ac.uk/law/news/202...

We (the LSE Law School) now have a Bluesky account. Give us a follow at @lselaw.bsky.social.

How fantastic. Really looking forward the reading this.

Cobun stands in front of the Brussels conference venue in a winter jacket and wearing a tie with a print of eyeballs and other surveillance themes.

Okay let's go! Here's a thread of key moments and takeaways from IAPP's Data Protection Congress in Brussels! (As they happen and so long as I can remember to post!) It's actually sunny in Brussels today 😲

My first substantive post on Bluesky! The deadline for abstracts for the Socio-Legal Studies Association annual conference (15-17 April 2025) at Liverpool Law School is *18 December*. A fantastic opportunity to share one's research
slsauk.bsky.social
www.liverpool.ac.uk/law/slsa-202...

Social media ban for under-16s on table if tech giants fail to protect children Technology Secretary gives Ofcom backing to fine firms and jail bosses who persistently breach duty of care to children

Beyond the headline threatening a #socialmedia ban, there are some powerful messages - for tech platforms and for @ofcom.bsky.social - in this interview with #DSIT Secretary of State. 👏 #OnlineSafetyAct
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11...

MPs to investigate links between social media algorithms and spread of harmful, false content - Politics.co.uk Disorder erupted onto England’s streets in July following the spread of misinformation about the fatal stabbing of three young girls.

NEW: MPs to probe links between social media algorithms and spread of harmful content

The science, innovation and technology committee will consider the role of false claims, spread via profit-driven social media algorithms, in triggering the recent riots

Story 👇
www.politics.co.uk/news/2024/11...

At Knight, we’ve been closely watching the shift in how Americans get information. The latest Pew-Knight Initiative report reveals that almost 1 in 5 adults regularly get news from news influencers on social media. Swipe for key 🗝️ findings and read more here: kf.org/3CrnwlB

@pewresearch.org

With several government ministers at the time of the initial candidate search pushing for a manifesto commitment that the Conservative party would withdraw from the ECHR it is unsurprising that people didn't put themselves forward. Hopefully a the new government will produce better candidates.

Some things that have taken place since I last updated everyone...No.5 (the last for now).

I have been elected by my colleagues (to whom I am grateful) to be the Dean of the LSE Law School from 1 September 2025. I will take over from David Kershaw who will leave incredibly large shoes to fill.

Truth as a constitutional value | LSE Event YouTube video by LSE

Some things that have taken place since I last updated everyone...No.4.

Also a great inaugural lecture on "Truth as a constitutional value: liberal constitutionalism, private capital and media regulation" from Tarun Khaitan.

What AI is doing to America's democracy | LSE Event YouTube video by LSE

Some things that have taken place since I last updated everyone...No.3.

Two interesting events on AI and Democracy were hosted by the LSE. The first was a talk by @lessig.bsky.social on "What AI is doing to America's democracy"

AI in public policy: opportunities and challenges | LSE Event YouTube video by LSE

Some things that have taken place since I last updated everyone...No.2.

I took part in the launch event for the @lsepress.bsky.social Public Policy review Special Issue where I spoke alongside Ken Benoit, Dori Sallai, Chloe Smith and Helen Margetts.

Automated Public Decision Making and the Need for Regulation | LSE Public Policy Review The LSE Public Policy Review is an open-access, refereed journal which is published quarterly. Each issue is thematic and concentrates on a key topic at the heart of current debates in public policy. ...

Some things that have taken place since I last updated everyone...No.1.

I have published a paper in the @lsepress.bsky.social Public Policy Review on Automated Public Decision Making and the Need for Regulation.

Job Posting: One week to go. You can apply for our Assistant Professorship in Law (Data, AI and/or Technology Law) until midnight on the 24th of November. Full details at: jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...