I'm a hack & pundit. Tickless in Gaza ex Digital Planet, he/him & https://xitter.cf/t.co/0N7iQjRnH5

Cambridge, England
Joined February 2007
Bill Thompson retweeted
"Should public service broadcasters be guaranteed prominence in YouTube video listings? Yes. If they are not, we may wave goodbye to regulated, trustworthy media in the UK. This would be a disaster: it would be a win for the forces that despise truth." londonfreelance.org/fl/2608c…
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Bill Thompson retweeted
As a matter of URGENCY, PLEASE could 100,000 of you sign this petition in the next week: Petition: Disapprove the draft Equality Act 2010 guidance laid on 21 May 2026 I want the House of Commons to disapprove the Equality Act 2010: Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations, 2026 laid on 21 May 2026. petition.parliament.uk/petit…
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Bill Thompson retweeted
Some decent arguments in this piece but the idea that Radio 2’s output is “extravagantly catered for in the commercial sector” is laughable. Folk, blues, live music, current affairs at lunchtime, religious programming: you don’t get any of that on Heart, Greatest Hits, etc…
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Bill Thompson retweeted
Today's Exeter Cuts - statement from the Union: "We will not tolerate this cultural vandalism. We will protect staff, whether they are in the union or not. We will ballot for industrial action. We will protect the university that we love." instagram.com/p/DZ7qcugDSkX/…
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Bill Thompson retweeted
Replying to @Cmdr_Hadfield
As an admirer, I have to ask -- why do you use this site for sharing things? As per its owner's wishes, apparently, it's being used to exacerbate racial hatred in the UK, and also being put to many other unsavoury uses.
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Bill Thompson retweeted
Can’t stop thinking about how Wall Street is celebrating Elon Musk becoming the world’s first trillionaire, while he single handedly eliminated humanitarian aid that will lead to the needless deaths of 4.5 million of the poorest children in the world in the next 4 years.
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Bill Thompson retweeted
Signal's reaction
Our statement on the UK government’s demand that all content on all devices sold or used in the country be scanned, on the presumption of nudity, using a dystopian combination of age verification and content scanning. This proposal will not safeguard children. It endangers us all. signal.org/blog/pdfs/2026-06…
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Bill Thompson retweeted
Our statement on the UK government’s demand that all content on all devices sold or used in the country be scanned, on the presumption of nudity, using a dystopian combination of age verification and content scanning. This proposal will not safeguard children. It endangers us all. signal.org/blog/pdfs/2026-06…
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PSA: Puntcon will be on August 16 this year. Emails going out soon.
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Bill Thompson retweeted
"Banning" social media for under-16s actually just means every single adult will be required to prove their age (probably through ID/ facial recognition) to use the majority of the internet. This will not protect children, but it will pave the way for Digital ID.
We did it. Just 18 months ago Labour said a social media ban was not something they were considering. They have now finally committed to social media restrictions for under 16s. This is a huge victory and a pivotal moment for children across our country after months of delay and empty promises. This is down to the courage of bereaved parents who fought not for their own children but for other peoples children. They are the reason I kept fighting and the reason I would not accept a timetable that allowed the Government to avoid action in this Parliament. We now have a more credible delivery timeline and that matters because every month of delay leaves more children exposed to harm. This victory also belongs to the hard work of Lord Nash, teachers, health professionals, parents and children who spoke out and refused to be ignored. Conservatives in opposition said we would fight to protect childhood and stand with parents and we have shown we will hold the Government to account and deliver change.
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Bill Thompson retweeted
Letter from Petersfield Green candidate Kathryn Fisher to Petersfield Labour candidate Cameron Holloway complaining about Labour's election literature. (Source including the "promoted by" details is at instagram.com/p/DXNF71LjbXS/)
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Bill Thompson retweeted
Candidates for the Cambridge City Council elections at a glance - including my predictions for all 15 seats. Full slates from Labour, Lib Dem, Green, Conservative, and Reform UK, plus two Communist candidates and five Independents. docs.google.com/spreadsheets…
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Bill Thompson retweeted
“Gargantuan” and “ambitious” are among the adjectives used by radio critics to describe Key Changes, which launches on @BBCRadio3 this lunchtime (with Episode 1 already available on @BBCSounds). This @Substack from @SimonOHagan is well worth a read: simonohagan.substack.com/p/f…
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Bill Thompson retweeted
Join us for a conversation about who predicts and controls the future! And what we can learn about the history of prophecies. Next week! #PROPHECY
Book talk next week... with a philosopher of technology, @CarissaVeliz. Her new book, Prophecy, is about how people have used technology to claim they see the future -- then (oracles) and now (AI).
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The EU’s top court has ruled today that every member state MUST allow trans citizens to update their gender and name on official documents. A Bulgarian trans woman was denied this for nearly a decade. them.us/story/european-court…
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Bill Thompson retweeted
Replying to @ZephyrTeachout
Zephyr, you're surely in a position to understand that the First Amendment does not allow the government to force people to show id to consume social meda or adult content. I'm disappointed that you've lost sight of your values.
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Bill Thompson retweeted
The House of Lords Digital & Communications Committee just published their report on AI, copyright & the creative industries, and their conclusions could not be clearer. They destroy the argument that big tech should be given the country’s creative output for free, and they lay out the case for maintaining and even strengthening existing copyright law to protect creatives from exploitation. They say: - the government must not weaken copyright law, and should instead strengthen licensing, transparency & enforcement - the government should stop prioritising large multinational tech firms - the government’s mixed public messaging on AI & copyright is hindering licensing - the government should make a clear public statement that AI companies operating in the UK need to license their training data (which is the law) - AI training isn’t ‘learning’ and shouldn’t be treated as such The House of Lords has been absolutely consistent on this, and they are totally right. Will the government listen?
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Bill Thompson retweeted
The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee has just published its report 'AI, copyright and the creative industries'. publications.parliament.uk/p…
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New doctor!  Congratulations to @oiioxford DPhil student Chris Blex who passed his viva yesterday.  His thesis is titled: Political Polarisation on Social Media: The Influence of Social Mechanisms, Network Structure, and the News Media 1/2
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