Facebook whistleblower named most influential person in British tech

Christopher Wylie, the man who revealed Cambridge Analytica’s harvesting of Facebook data, has been named the most influential person in British tech by Business Insider.

The industry publication’s annual Tech 100 list placed Mr Wylie at the top of the list after he revealed earlier this year that the political consultancy had accessed the data of 50 million Facebook users.

The scandal led to Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg appearing before the US Congress amid a series of public apologies and increased debate over data privacy.

Mr Wylie also went on to give evidence to MPs as part of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s inquiry into fake news.

The chief executive and co-founder of food delivery app Deliveroo, Will Shu, was second on the list, with the co-founders of artificial intelligence firm DeepMind third.

Since forming the AI company in 2010, Dr Demis Hassabis, Mustafa Suleyman and Dr Shane Legg have seen the UK-based firm acquired by Google.

The top ten also includes the founder and chief executive of digital bank Monzo, Tom Blomfield at number eight.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is number 40 in the list, while Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams, who has launched her own creative collaboration app called Daisie, appears at number 90.

Business Insider executive editor Jake Kanter said: “Christopher Wylie has changed the global debate around privacy and helped people realise the power companies like Facebook have over our data.

“His brave decision to blow the whistle will help make tech giants more accountable, and that can only be a good thing. He fully deserves his place at the top of Business Insider’s Tech 100.”