William Perrin

William Perrin is a Trustee of Carnegie UK Trust where, with Professor Lorna Woods he has led work on the regulation of online harms since 2018. The Woods/Perrin model of risk management of internet company systems through a statutory duty of care seemed to form the basis of the UK Government internet safety proposals and may have inspired some of the Digital Services Act approach to due diligence and risk management. Almost all of Mr Perrin’s 15 year civil service career involved regulation, some of which was successful, some not. Mr Perrin was first asked to look at internet regulation in 1994, then worked on the BSkyB/cable industry dispute in the 1990s at DTI, was Private Secretary to the Energy Minister in 1997-98, managed the 2001 Communications White Paper which created OFCOM, was a policy advisor to the Prime Minister from 2001-2004 covering communications regulation, modernising regulation of pubs bars and clubs and regulation of gambling. Mr Perrin ran a social tech media business for Channel4 for ten years after leaving the civil service and was asked by the Secretary of State to advise on the future of local tv news. He is now a trustee at a range of charities with digital activities.