Do not force surveillance software into our phones and tablets.
Suggested amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, made by Lord Nash, Baroness Cass, and Baroness Benjamin, would require nearly every smartphone or tablet to surveil its owner by continuously scanning the device. This proposal must be rejected.
Signatures
7
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 7/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 7/100,000
- 30 JAN 2026Petition rejectedalready-happening
These amendments to the CW&S Bill were successfully rejected/resisted in the Lords earlier in January, so the principal request of the petition is no longer in date.
- 22 DEC 2025Petition created
Background
Protecting children is paramount; however, these proposed amendments would represent a serious and disproportionate intrusion into the privacy and human rights of the British public. They would introduce routine digital surveillance without any evidence of effectiveness. The technology likely to be deployed has a record of being ineffective and could prove expensive. This funding would be better directed towards children’s services, which have a long and proven history of protecting children.