Last month, the new Dutch government proposed a bill on expanding police online monitoring powers, tied to serious public order disruptions. The Netherlands has had its fair share of demonstrations and riots over the past year and it seems that public safety and order is on top of the agenda for the new government. But is that really what this bill is about? Ministers have approved the draft legislation, the Wet gegevensvergaring openbare orde, and it is now headed to the Cou

Following in the footsteps of the Australian government, the UK government recently released its research briefing proposing a ban on social media for children. The report identifies the rationale behind such a ban, citing obvious harms such as exposure to child sexual abuse images, pornography, sexual content, cyberbullying, self-harm, and violent material. It is perhaps surprising that it is only in 2025 that we are beginning to see meaningful legislation that actually reg

The Labour government has been cast further adrift this month, perilously overladen with scandal and factionalism. Whilst I don’t doubt that Starmer will go down with this ship, certain members of his cabinet could survive unscathed, and miraculously so. Certain names and policies scattering the headlines are doing an impressive job of diverting attention away from more subdued and insidious acts of party betrayal. Take Shabana Mahmood, the UK’s Home Secretary, whose vision f