Big Tech faced a call for increased regulation and scrutiny at the Global Security Forum 2025 Tuesday from a UK lawmaker who argued that the current relationship between governments and tech giants may be compromised and poses a strategic security risk.

“The necessary and close relationship between Big Tech and governments is understandable, but it is, I would suggest, nonetheless conflicted,” UK Member of Parliament (MP) Mark Pritchard said in his address at the forum.

He questioned whether these close ties had transformed into a form of “corporate kompromat”, a type of agreement where governments overlook potential wrongdoings by tech companies in exchange for future technological advantages and access.

Pritchard cited the dual nature of technology, noting its immense potential for good but warning of its increasing exploitation by malign actors.

“Tech is a force for good in the world ... but so often, it is used by malign non-state actors to disrupt, divide, and diminish micro-economies, democracy, news reporting, the minds of the young, supply chains, and to undermine the rule of law,” he said.

Pritchard underlined the inherent risks of placing blind trust in technology: “...‘In tech we trust’ is not a mantra without inherent risks to both consumers and governments.”

He criticised Big Tech’s role in combating these threats, arguing that companies need to do more to shut down malign non-state actors using their platforms.
“Big Tech has big responsibilities,” the UK lawmaker said. “Big Tech needs to do more to shut down malign non-state actors, and governments should not rush to absolve Big Tech of its wrongdoings in return for future technology transfer and unfettered access.”

He outlined several concerns regarding the unchecked power of Big Tech, including its potential to undermine democratic processes and become “too big to fail”, even exceeding the influence of the global banking system.

To address these challenges, Pritchard advocated for a comprehensive strategy.

“Smart regulation, certainly more competition, and the recalibration and rebalancing of this relationship with government,” he said, and called for regulatory oversight, increased competition within the tech sector, and a re-evaluation of the relationship between governments and Big Tech.

Pritchard pointed out that closer collaboration should not lead to governments “turning a blind eye to breaking laws, licensing an unfiltered and unchecked web, or public policy vetoes”.

Beyond the focus on Big Tech, he also addressed the evolving global security landscape, highlighting the increasing threat of state actors using proxies and illicit financing channels.

These actors, he said, often engage in activities like human trafficking, drug smuggling, and illegal arms sales to fund their operations and maintain deniability.
He defended multilateralism and international co-operation as vital to global stability.