Policy and Government

French authorities say a private Israeli-linked influence firm targeted John Swinney, the SNP and the Scottish Government during Scotland’s election campaign. The allegation raises a larger question: how exposed is Scotland’s democracy to paid, foreign, deniable digital interference? This is not a story about

Digital surveillance is no longer a remote intelligence issue. It now sits inside ordinary life, touching phones, platforms, private messages, children, journalism, protest and trust in public authority. People are concerned about digital surveillance because they feel something basic has been taken from them: