DWP faces legal action over use of algorithm in decisions over fraud investigations – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP) and non-profit legal group Foxglove have sent the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) a letter before action over its use of a computer algorithm when deciding on who should be investigated for fraud.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd February 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Wrongly convicted Post Office workers say former bosses should face jail – The Guardian

‘Former Post Office workers who were among those wrongfully convicted for theft, fraud and false accounting have called for the company’s former management to go to jail for their part in the long-running scandal.’

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The Guardian, 15th February 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Post Office scandal: Public inquiry to examine wrongful convictions – BBC News

‘The wrongful convictions of hundreds of sub-postmasters and mistresses will be examined by a public inquiry starting on Monday.’

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BBC News, 14th February 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Legal reforms to allow safe introduction of automated vehicles announced – Law Commission

Posted January 28th, 2022 in computer programs, Law Commission, news, road safety by tracey

‘The Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission (the Law Commissions) have today (26 January 2022) published their joint report, making recommendations for the safe and responsible introduction of self-driving vehicles.’

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Law Commission, 26th January 2022

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk

Major legal changes needed for driverless car era – BBC News

Posted January 26th, 2022 in accidents, computer programs, dangerous driving, news, road safety by sally

‘Human drivers should not be legally accountable for road safety in the era of autonomous cars, a report says.’

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BBC News, 26th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK taxpayers to pay former Post Office workers up to £1bn compensation – The Guardian

‘UK taxpayers could have to pay as much as £1bn in compensation to former Post Office workers wrongly convicted of theft due to the defective Horizon IT system.’

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The Guardian, 23rd January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Payout offers over Post Office IT scandal sent to less than third of applicants – The Guardian

‘Less than a third of Post Office workers who applied for compensation under a government scheme in the wake of the Horizon IT scandal have received a payout offer, almost 17 months after it closed, MPs have been told.’

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The Guardian, 11th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Speech by Dame Victoria Sharp DBE: The Challenges and Opportunities Created by Digital Evidence in Criminal Cases – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Dame Victoria Sharp DBE, the President of the Queen’s Bench Division, has given a speech to the National Criminal Justice Conference.’

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Courts and tribunals Judiciary, 5th January 2022

Source: www.judiciary.uk

The law of England and Wales can accommodate smart legal contracts, concludes Law Commission – Law Commission

Posted November 26th, 2021 in computer programs, contracts, Law Commission, legal services, news by tracey

‘The Law Commission has today confirmed that the existing law of England and Wales is able to accommodate and apply to smart legal contracts, without the need for statutory law reform. The Law Commission notes that, in some contexts, an incremental development of the common law is all that is required to facilitate the use of smart legal contracts within the existing legal framework.’

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Law Commission, 25th November 2021

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk

Are the digital tools we’ve got used to during the pandemic subject to misuse? – Each Other

Posted November 16th, 2021 in computer programs, coronavirus, data protection, equality, human rights, news, privacy by sally

‘At the start of 2020, the urgent need to contain COVID-19 meant that alongside direct medical and clinical strategies, most countries tried to restrict the majority of the population’s movements in some way.’

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Each Other, 16th November 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Wrongly convicted post office workers need compensation now, inquiry told – The Guardian

‘The independent inquiry into how hundreds of post office workers were wrongfully accused of theft, fraud and false accounting as a result of computer errors has been urged to demand immediate compensation for those affected.’

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The Guardian, 8th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Automated Dismissal Decisions, Data Protection and The Law of Unfair Dismissal – by Philippa Collins – UK Labour Law

‘In Summer 2021, Bloomberg published a striking series of stories from working people who had been ‘fired by a machine’. Stephen Normandin had worked for several years for Amazon Flex as a member of a fleet of ‘contract drivers’ who provide same-day delivery services for groceries and packages. Like other members of Amazon’s significant workforce, Stephen’s work was monitored through a system of real-time data collection and algorithmic analysis. Stephen’s performance rating plummeted after a series of unfortunate incidents made his job more difficult: inaccessible gated communities and lockers, unresponsive recipients and unhelpful responses from the company. Shortly after, he received an email stating that his contract had been terminated. Stephen took up the opportunity to appeal the decision but received a series of emails, each with a different name attached, that took him no further. The final email that Stephen received stated that the difficulties he had cited had already been taken into account. His termination stood, even though he was never able to interact ‘live’ with another human being.’

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UK Labour Law, 19th October 2021

Source: uklabourlawblog.com

Legal regulators slammed for “lacking expertise” on comparison data – Legal Futures

‘Lawyer data already in the public domain cannot easily be adapted to help consumers choose a lawyer, mainly due to failings by legal regulators, according to research.’

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Legal Futures, 18th October 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar students need more pupillage data to avoid “buyer’s remorse” – Legal Futures

Posted October 15th, 2021 in barristers, computer programs, legal education, news, pupillage by tracey

‘Bar students should be given detailed information from chambers about their pupillage criteria to avoid suffering from “buyer’s remorse” when they realise how difficult it is to succeed, a barrister and former Bar course teacher has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 15th October 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Uber Faces Legal Action Over ‘Racist’ Facial Recognition Software – Each Other

‘Uber is facing legal action following revelations that its facial recognition algorithm is five times more likely to cause the termination of darker-skinned workers.’

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Each Other, 11th October 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Uber facing new UK driver claims of racial discrimination – The Guardian

‘Uber is facing further claims for compensation over racial discrimination from drivers who say they had been falsely dismissed because of malfunctioning face recognition technology.’

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The Guardian, 6th October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Cressida Dick: Tech giants make it impossible to stop terrorists – BBC News

‘The Metropolitan Police commissioner has accused tech giants of making it harder to identify and stop terrorists.’

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BBC News, 12th September 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Post Office scandal inquiry urged to put more focus on the lawyers – Legal Futures

‘The inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal has been urged to put more focus on the role of lawyers in perpetuating the organisation’s intransigence over the IT system’s problems.’

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Legal Futures, 10th September 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

The Language of Cyber Law. Cyber law: language matters – The 36 Group

Posted August 25th, 2021 in chambers articles, computer crime, computer programs, news by sally

‘With technology advancing every day, Ceri Davis of 36 Commercial explores the importance of mastering the language of cyber law.’

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The 36 Group, 3rd August 2021

Source: 36group.co.uk

Ransomware attacks: a practical guide to survival – 3PB

Posted August 25th, 2021 in chambers articles, computer crime, computer programs, news by sally

‘In response to the growing number of instructions regarding cyber incidents, this series of articles aims to address and provide practical advice on dealing with, common scenarios faced by businesses. This first article addresses the risk of a ransomware attack and considers the practical steps that an organisation needs to take to survive such an event.’

Full Story

3PB, 19th August 2021

Source: www.3pb.co.uk