Starmer's AI tsar invested in firm given £2.3m government contract to snoop on social media
The Government's artificial intelligence tsar was an investor in a company awarded a £2.3 million of taxpayers' money to create a platform that trawls social media for 'concerning' posts.
Matt Clifford, the Prime Minister's AI opportunities adviser, was an investor in Faculty Science until mid-January and has now closed this position.
The London-based AI company was awarded a multimillion-pound contract by the Department of Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in November 2024 to build software which can search for 'foreign interference', detect deepfakes and 'analyse social media narratives' online.
The platform is part of the Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU) which was set up in 2019 and sparked widespread criticism for amassing files on journalists, academics and MPs who challenged the government's narrative during the pandemic.
The unit has since been rebranded the National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) and its links to intelligence agencies allows it to avoid intense public scrutiny.
The Telegraph last weekend revealed the government contract to create the Counter Disinformation Data Platform (CDDP) and on Monday the DSIT published an update to Mr Clifford's declaration of interests stating his position as a Faculty investor was 'now divested in full'.
Mr Clifford is leading the Government's AI strategy and authored the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was published on Jan 13. The process of divesting shares was started later that week.
It is unknown how large the personal investment was of Mr Clifford and if he sold the shares for profit.
Changes to his contract, available online, now state any shareholding changes or sales must be approved by DSIT's permanent secretary.
He will also now have to recuse himself from any procurement decisions.
Analysis by Tussel on behalf of The Telegraph reveals that Mr Clifford has 40 other private shareholdings, and 10 of these have also received taxpayer money, totalling more than £7.75 million since 2016.
However, none of these companies have received money directly from the DSIT, the department for science which Mr Clifford has had a role with since 2023.
Mr Clifford is a successful tech entrepreneur who the Government deliberately sought out to help spearhead their own artificial intelligence ambitions.
In 2022, he was appointed as chairman of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), the £800 million research and development funding agency that is designed to select ambitious projects in which to invest government money.
In 2023, the Conservative government brought Mr Clifford in to participate in the AI Safety Institute Advisory Board, and in 2024 the Labour government charged Mr Clifford with delivering a new AI Opportunities Plan, which saw him recommend a new unit, dubbed UK Sovereign AI to 'incubate and spin out AI companies'.
But his role with Faculty Science remains unknown at a time when the DSIT is under criticism for funding the counter disinformation platform which critics say could be used to snoop on the social media posts of British people.
An executive summary for the project states: 'While the CDDP has a current national security focus, the tool has the ability to be pivoted to focus on any priority area.'
Jake Hurfurt, head of research and investigations at Big Brother Watch, warned that the Government was still refusing to publish 'huge swathes of information' about the platform.
'Whitehall must be transparent about how its Counter Disinformation Unit plans to use AI to monitor social media, when millions of pounds of public money have been poured into its operation,' he said at the weekend.
'NSOIT's predecessor, the Counter Disinformation Unit, was caught tracking criticism from journalists, activists and even MPs in an assault on free speech, but the Government is still trying to hide this unit in the shadows. There is a risk that the Ministry of Truth lives on.
'Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and with vast amounts of taxpayers' cash on the line, it is time for the Government to be clear on how it monitors social media, and whether it is pressuring social media companies to censor the public's lawful speech.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
River Island eyes store closures following £33m losses
Fashion retailer River Island is undergoing a restructuring process that could lead to the closure of 33 UK stores and put hundreds of jobs at risk. An additional 71 stores face uncertainty as the company seeks improved rental deals with landlords to combat a recent slump in trading. The family-owned chain, which employs around 5,500 people, has hired advisors from PwC to oversee the restructuring. The proposals, aimed at securing fresh funding and turning around the business, will be put to a vote by the firm's creditors in August. River Island reported a 33.2 million pound loss in 2023, with sales down 19 per cent, attributed to weaker consumer spending and competition from online rivals.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Trainline sues Transport Secretary over ‘secret' deal for state-owned rail operator
Trainline is suing Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, over the alleged backdoor award of a £32m ticketing contract by state-owned operator LNER. LNER, which has been run by the Department for Transport (DfT) since 2018, recently extended a ticketing sales platform contract it uses without offering rivals such as Trainline the chance to bid for the 10-year deal. Trainline claims that the failure to seek alternative bids means that Ms Alexander and LNER ignored due process as well as the best interests of passengers and the taxpayer. It alleges that the publication of the award on the Government's procurement website on December 23 was also too opaque because it effectively buried the news during Christmas week, limiting the ability of other parties to respond. LNER awarded the contract for the central booking engine that supports its digital ticket sales to Australia's Vix Technology. Trainline has its own rival division providing a similar 'white label' service to train operators and would have expected to compete for the work had it been tendered. It is understood that the company, which has filed the claim at the Technology and Construction Court against LNER and the Transport Secretary, will claim that a direct award of the contract was not permissible under procurement law because the terms were being varied in scope, duration and beneficiaries. The terms of the award also mean that the ticketing platform used by LNER, which operates between London Kings Cross and Scotland via Leeds and Newcastle, could be extended across the rail network. Rail unions have pressed Labour to squeeze out third-party ticket bookers such as Trainline, with the RMT accusing the company of engaging in 'relentless profiteering.' While the Government plans to simplify fares and ticketing as part of its nationalisation of the railway, it has nevertheless said that there would still be a need for 'an innovative and competitive third-party retail market.' Trainline even hosted the launch of the nationalisation policy by Louise Haigh, the then-transport secretary, last year. Labour subsequently ruled out establishing a national website and app to promote cheaper fares in competition with the firm. However, it reversed that guidance in January to say that a plan to bring together the ticket websites of individual operators was now in the pipeline. Though the DfT maintained that private-sector retailers would be able to compete in an open and fair manner, shares of Trainline, which has 18m customers, have since fallen by almost one third.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Attack at the Iranian Embassy: Two pro-Israel protesters taken to hospital after being set upon - as police arrest six men
Police have arrested six men after two pro-Israel protesters were attacked in a major incident outside the Iranian Embassy today. Detectives have launched an urgent probe after the two men were set upon outside the embassy, which is opposite Hyde Park in west London, just before 10am. Officers and paramedics swooped on Princes Gate, Knightsbridge, scrambling to detain suspects and treat the injured activists. Witnesses told MailOnline how pro-Israeli protesters were chanting support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and calling for the Iranian regime to be toppled before violence erupted and two of the activists were attacked. It comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with Iran and Israel locked in a brutal conflict that has escalated over the last week. The two victims were treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital. Dramatic pictures from the scene show the protesters being treated by paramedics on stretchers and receiving oxygen, while the alleged attackers were seen being hauled away in handcuffs. Police said six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and are being quizzed in custody. The Iranian Embassy became a focal point for protests in 2022 after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. Protest organiser Shahla Rostami, described the violence outside the Iranian embassy as a 'bloody scene'. The university chief executive said that the protest in favour of Israeli's military actions against Iran and the toppling of the Ayatollah was a brutal attack by Iranian agitators. 'We have been here for a week with a permit from the Metropolitan Police. 'This was a completely peaceful protest without any violence until a man kissing an Iranian flag came up to us and attacked one of our group. He came right up and started punching one of our group. 'It was quite a bloody scene, and although we do not know this, it would not surprise me if the man was paid by the Iranian government to carry out the attack.' It is understood that the victim of the assault had his ankle sliced off by the attacker. Police officers arrested the attack and one man was sent to the trauma unit at a nearby hospital. Police officers split up the protest and told those gathered that they would not be allowed back outside the embassy until Sunday at 1pm. A diplomat from the Dominican Republic saw the fight from his office window. 'I was on my phone taking a call when I saw a man rush over. He was a very big guy and he hit one of the men in the leg with something. 'Then as the man he was attacking fell to the ground he began to hit him repeatedly until people came over and dragged him off.' Speaking about the Iranian embassy more generally the diplomat observed that the staff observed strict security measures and are rarely seen. 'They are straight into the cars and then out. It is very quick and we never really see them.' A spokesman for the Met Police said: 'At 09:53hrs on Friday, 20 June officers responded to reports of an altercation in Princes Gate, SW1. 'Six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm – they remain in police custody. 'Two men were treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital for further treatment by the London Ambulance Service. 'Police have cordoned off the area while initial investigations take place.' A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 9.56am today (20 June) to reports of an assault in Princes Gate, SW7. 'We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and our Tactical Response Unit. 'We treated two patients at the scene and took one to hospital and one to a major trauma centre.'
