A United Kingdom academic has been blocked from giving a talk to a Government Department because she has previously criticised Government policies.
Reader in artificial intelligence and society at King’s College London, Kate Devlin said she was due to give a talk to an employee network within a Government Department relating to women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
The event was arranged to tie in with Ada Lovelace Day, a celebration of women in these fields.
However, about 10 days before she was due to give the talk, Dr Devlin was informed she was no longer invited to speak.
“I was told that because I had criticised Government policy on social media previously, I wouldn’t be permitted to come and speak,” Dr Devlin (pictured) said.
“I am openly critical of some Government policies: I’m a board member of the @OpenRightsGroup and, as such, I am opposed to the Online Harms Bill in its current form.
She said her criticism came from years of research, and was not confined to the current Government.
Dr Devlin also noted that the topic of her talk had nothing to do with any Government policy.
“This is a very draconian approach and, if they [the Government] are in favour of freedom of expression, then they should stand by that,” she said.
It is not the first time the Government has been accused of blocking academics from giving lectures.
Last year, Priyamvada Gopal, an expert in post-colonial studies at the University of Cambridge, was invited to talk to officers about her view that Government policies were linked to colonial history.
However, Professor Gopal’s invitation was withdrawn at short notice after an old social media post criticising then-Home Secretary, Priti Patel came to light.
London, 13 October 2022
