Molly Kingsley: Government’s Counter-Disinformation Unit Kept Dossier on Her Activity
The children’s advocate expressed that ‘the line between autocracy or dictatorship and democracy is much thinner than I ever possibly could have imagined.’
A children’s rights advocate and critic of lockdowns revealed that she faced censorship on social media and was monitored by the government’s Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU), which had a detailed list of information collected on her.
During an interview with NTD’s Lee Hall on the “British Thought Leaders” programme, UsForThem co-founder Molly Kingsley stated that she was surprised by the extent of information gathered on her, including content she deemed as not disinformation.
Ms. Kingsley was taken aback by the extensive list of monitored content about her, some of which she pointed out were not disinformation, including opinions and factual information like feedback from parents concerned about their children wearing masks in schools.
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In January 2023, Big Brother Watch released a report revealing that the CDU had been monitoring online criticism and dissent related to COVID-19 policies, including targeting MPs and journalists.
Ms. Kingsley, after co-founding UsForThem in response to school closures, requested information about the data held on her by the CDU.
‘We Were Censored’
Ms. Kingsley highlighted how social media posts were being suppressed during the pandemic, leading to limited reach and engagement on their accounts, as well as fewer mainstream press features.
Reflecting on the censorship, Ms. Kingsley emphasized that criticizing policies led to suppression of information rather than open debate.
The Thin Line Between Dictatorship and Democracy
Ms. Kingsley shared her evolving perspective on British governance amid the pandemic, noting a blurred line between autocracy and democracy that surprised her.
She pointed out that accountability is crucial for the functionality of laws and regulations in a democracy.
“We have got ourselves into a position where we appear to, at least during the pandemic period, have normalised or tolerated government without ethics. And, you know, how do we think that it’s going to work out?”
Counter Disinformation Unit Rebranded
In November 2023, the government renamed the CDUto the National Security Online Information Team to focus on combatting false information from foreign states.
However, critics like Mr. Young viewed the rebranding as a deceptive tactic to conceal the unit’s true purpose.
A government spokesperson defended the name change as reflecting the team’s priorities in addressing national security risks.
