The Use & Abuse of Big Tech with Baroness Beeban Kidron

Join Baroness Beeban Kidron at Messums West for a timely and compelling conversation about Big Tech, democracy and how we begin to reclaim control of our digital lives.

Hosted by Chloe Fox of Fox & King Books, the evening will explore the ideas behind Beeban’s first book, Users: How Big Tech Took Control and How to Fight Back.

We use technology every day, but how much control do we really have over the systems that increasingly shape our lives?

In Users, Beeban draws on years spent campaigning, legislating and working inside the rooms where decisions about technology are made. From Parliament and the United Nations to the White House and Silicon Valley, she reveals how governments have repeatedly failed to hold Big Tech to account, and how tools designed to connect us have also been used to divide, distract and control.

This is not an argument against technology itself, but a powerful examination of how it is used, who benefits and what needs to change.

Beeban will talk to Chloe about the unchecked influence of the world’s most powerful technology companies, the particular effect of the digital world on children, the growing risks surrounding artificial intelligence and what meaningful resistance might look like.

The conversation will be followed by questions from the audience and a book signing. Copies of Users will be available to purchase during the evening.

About Baroness Beeban Kidron

Baroness Beeban Kidron is a global authority on digital regulation and accountability, and a leading advocate for children’s rights in the digital world.

She sits as a crossbench peer in the House of Lords and is the founder and former Chair of the 5Rights Foundation. She is a Visiting Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics, where she chairs the Digital Futures for Children research centre, and is an adviser to the University of Oxford Institute for Ethics in AI.

Before entering the House of Lords, Beeban was an award-winning film director. She also co-founded Filmclub, now Into Film, and was awarded an OBE for services to drama in 2012.

Praise for Users

“A thrilling story of how democracies can respond to the world’s most powerful industry, told by the woman who is leading the charge.”
Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation

“This book will help us understand how high the stakes are and how we can fight back.”
Sir Elton John and David Furnish

“Kidron brings the insider knowledge of a legislator and the storytelling instincts of a filmmaker to one of the most urgent crises of our time.”
Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology

About Fox & King

Fox & King is an independent bookshop in the heart of Tisbury, founded by Chloe King. Known for its carefully chosen books, warm personal recommendations and growing programme of author conversations, Fox & King has quickly become a much-loved part of the local community, bringing readers together in the heart of Tisbury.

Doors and bar open at 6pm
Conversation begins at 6.30pm, followed by audience questions and a book signing
Event ends at 8pm