Tory top 10 tech targets: Skills, security and surveillance
What to expect from the technology industry over the next five years
Most people think of the Conservative Party as a bunch of middle-aged to outright old men who firmly believe in "old fashioned values", an image that doesn't make you think of them as being particularly interested in technology.
However, hidden in the Tory manifesto are a wealth of reform plans and strategies that could completely change the UK's technology industry.
We've collected the 10 biggest technology initiatives to expect over the next five years of Conservative rule.
10. Bill-paying skills
The UK has a skills shortage like holiday swimming pools have prime-position sun lounger shortages. The industry could make a daily alert about how low on skills it has become, and how the current education system might not be fostering enough potential employees.
The Tory government has, and will continue to, push skills, particularly technology skills, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) studies, as part of general moves towards improving the UK's economy, business and global standing.
The school report is currently ‘could do better'. The number of people taking ICT subjects at A-Level is falling, but the picture at further education level is better, and engineering, science and maths subjects have had a boost in numbers. Expect to see skills and the need for them on many a politician's agenda.
Tory top 10 tech targets: Skills, security and surveillance
What to expect from the technology industry over the next five years
9. Superfast broadband
Improving broadband is high on the Tories' agenda, and follows commitments by David Cameron earlier in the year to throw £50m at bringing free WiFi to trains by 2017.
He said in February that it is "vital for businesses and individuals to be able to access WiFi and do their work while they are on trains".
Building on this, the manifesto promises "superfast broadband" for 95 percent of the population by 2017, along with the ambition that "ultrafast broadband should be available to nearly all UK premises as soon as practicable".
Mobile coverage will also see a boost. The party promises to improve mobile infrastructure and "hold the mobile operators to new legally binding agreements to ensure that 90 per cent of the UK landmass will have voice and SMS coverage by 2017".
The Tories also outlined plans to ensure that the development of 5G networks is given priority.
"We will ensure that Britain seizes the chance to be a world leader in the development of 5G, playing a key role in defining industry standards," it said, although no specific detail on this topic was given.
Tory top 10 tech targets: Skills, security and surveillance
What to expect from the technology industry over the next five years
8. Silky smooth 5G
5G has been a hot topic for most tech fans since the launch of 4G a few years ago. Ofcom has already made a stream of announcements about 5G, and universities across the UK are experimenting with new technologies to boost network speeds.
The University of Surrey revealed to V3 that it had successfully reached 5G speeds of 1Tbps in February.
As a result, it's no surprise that the Conservatives have pledged to ensure that the development of 5G networks is accelerated during their rule, although they're yet to give firm details about how they plan to do this.
Tory top 10 tech targets: Skills, security and surveillance
What to expect from the technology industry over the next five years
7. Startup boost
The Tories have long been the friendly political party for businesses. Startups stand to benefit if the party sticks to its manifesto commitments, given that the Tories will treble the startup loans initiative launched during the coalition government.
The expanded initiative is aimed at providing 75,000 entrepreneurs with an opportunity to borrow money over the next five years.
No doubt the Tories will want this initiative to bolster the success of London's Tech City startups and subsequent technology clusters that have grown up around the UK following London's lead.
The Tories have committed to more invasive surveillance to the tune of a £3bn, nine-year investment in cyber intelligence innovation, which will involve working with hundreds of small businesses, so startups in this space have the opportunity to snap up a share of this pot.
Furthermore, the Conservative manifesto detailed plans to ensure that a third of central government procurement is done through SMEs, with assurances that they will be paid promptly once contracts are fulfilled, although it remains to be seen whether the party commits to this.
Tory top 10 tech targets: Skills, security and surveillance
What to expect from the technology industry over the next five years
6. Possible IoT boost
Chancellor George Osborne claimed in his pre-election budget that the UK would invest heavily in the Internet of Things (IoT), dubbing it "the next stage of the information revolution". However, he didn't really go into much detail.
The Tory manifesto states that businesses - and everyone in the country who still has a home after all the welfare cuts - will at least have a smart meter to control their energy supplies by 2020.
Urban transport, medical devices and e-payments were also mentioned in relation to the IoT.
"We want to make these e-payments faster [and] quicker. We want to make it as safe as possible," said culture minister Ed Vaizey.
"We want to look at how the new technologies can benefit consumers and the wider economy. So that's something the Treasury is very interested in."
Tory top 10 tech targets: Skills, security and surveillance
What to expect from the technology industry over the next five years
5. Robots
Some people have accused the Conservative Party of being a cold uncaring lot akin to robots. However, Cameron's Tory party has a more direct connection to our future robot overlords.
During its years working with the Liberal Democrats, the Tories pushed a strategy document regarding the UK's robotic future.
The document listed robotics and autonomous technologies as growth areas that could boost the UK economy, and pledged a whopping £100m to help grow the industry.
Tory top 10 tech targets: Skills, security and surveillance
What to expect from the technology industry over the next five years
4. Self-driving cars
Self-driving cars will be in political pole position. The UK is reasonably awash with them, and feedback from the US suggests that when they are involved in accidents -and self-driving vehicles are involved in accidents - it is the fault of people.
This is good news for the supporters of self-driving cars, if rather chilling for anyone who has reasonable concerns about cyber security and curbside personal security, and we can all take some solace from the fact that bad driving remains the biggest threat to us on the road.
Driverless cars are due to start spinning rubber on British roads this year, and the government has already provided £10m towards the road trip.
Tory top 10 tech targets: Skills, security and surveillance
What to expect from the technology industry over the next five years
3. Possible EU exit
The Tories have pledged to hold an EU referendum in 2017. This doesn't necessarily mean with 100 percent certainty that the UK will leave the EU, but if it does, the move will have a pretty big impact on the technology industry.
For starters, it will separate us from European markets which will affect investment in UK technology companies, removing us from the recently announced single digital market strategy.
Second, it will remove us from certain potentially useful initiatives for things like common data protection laws, and setting wireless and broadband standards.
Tory top 10 tech targets: Skills, security and surveillance
What to expect from the technology industry over the next five years
2. No more encryption
Privacy software fans should ready themselves for a fight this year and in the coming years.
The last government was kept apart from its plans to bulldoze over encryption technologies thanks to the Liberal Democrats, but a lack of that party's intervention has cleared the path for the controversial surveillance and communications measures to return.
"We will keep up to date the ability of the police and security services to access communications data - the 'who, where, when and how' of a communication - but not its content," the manifesto said.
Putting aside the massive connotations towards citizens' privacy, the truth is a move to ban encryption could be disastrous for business.
As Cameron made clear earlier this year, he's not just talking about banning encryption, but any service that uses it.
This would mean key businesses, such as WhatsApp, Snapchat or even Google, Yahoo and Facebook, which offer encryption services to customers, could find themselves in hot water.
Tory top 10 tech targets: Skills, security and surveillance
What to expect from the technology industry over the next five years
1. Spook levels up
The Conservative Party has made no secret of the fact that it wants intelligence agencies and law enforcement to have more digital surveillance powers.
Claiming they are needed for "anti-terrorism purposes", this was showcased over the past five years by the Conservatives' support of the Data Communications Bill, commonly referred to as the Snoopers' Charter.
Looking to resurrect the Charter, the Tories want to introduce legislation that will force businesses operating in the UK to retain key customer data, including online conversations and Facebook and Twitter activity, for 12 months.
This, combined with the party's aggressive stance on encryption, could put companies between a rock and a hard place when it comes to assuring customers that they can be trusted with their data.