Coronavirus and Information Law – Panopticon

Posted March 23rd, 2020 in bills, chambers articles, coronavirus, data protection, news by sally

‘Here are some initial responses to the Coronavirus pandemic from an information law perspective.’

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Panopticon, 20th March 2020

Source: panopticonblog.com

Big Data in the Post-Brexit Era – Where Oh Where Will It Be? – The 36 Group

Posted March 23rd, 2020 in brexit, chambers articles, data protection, EC law, internet, jurisdiction, news by sally

‘Joseph Dalby SC and Flavia Kenyon, barristers at 36 Commercial, examine the reasons and implications of big data and social media giants moving UK-data overseas.’

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The 36 Group, 4th March 2020

Source: 36group.co.uk

Information watchdog warns of dangers of school photos and wrongful disclosure of personal data – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued two reprimands, or legal warnings, to schools for wrongly disclosing the personal data of children.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th March 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Astonishing breakthrough’: Munby hails access to family justice data – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 5th, 2020 in anonymity, data protection, family courts, news by tracey

‘A national support service representing children in family court cases has opened up its data to researchers as part of wider efforts to understand how well the family justice system is working. Cafcass has transferred its file data to the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, which is based at the University of Swansea. Cafcass said the move was part of a strategy to exchange knowledge and learning with key partners such as the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, set up by the Nuffield Foundation to improve the use of data and research in the family justice system.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd March 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Strasbourg Court rules against UK on police retention of data – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 27th, 2020 in criminal records, data protection, DNA, human rights, news by tracey

‘Can the police indefinitely retain an individual’s DNA profile, fingerprints and photograph after they have been convicted? That was the question before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Gaughran v UK (no. 45245/15, ECHR 2020). This judgment — which was given for the applicant — is of interest both on the merits and as an example of the way the Court continues to approach issues of this kind.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 26th February 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘Cover-up’: DWP destroyed reports into people who killed themselves after benefits were stopped – The Independent

Posted February 27th, 2020 in benefits, data protection, government departments, news, suicide by tracey

‘The Department for Work and Pensions has been accused of “a cover-up” after destroying reports into suicides linked to benefits being stopped. Around 50 reviews into deaths following the loss of social security payments before 2015 have been shredded, officials have admitted – blaming data protection laws.’

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The Independent, 26th February 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Let’s face it: use of automated facial recognition technology by the police – UK Police Law Blog

‘The case of R (Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police & Information Commissioner [2019] EWHC 2341 (Admin); [2020] 1 WLR 672 is said to have been the first claim brought before a court anywhere on planet earth concerning the use by police of automated facial recognition (“AFR”) technology. There could be nothing wrong with posting scores of police officers with eidetic memories to look out for up to a 800 wanted persons at public gatherings. So why not use a powerful computer, capable of matching 50 faces a second with a database of (under) 800 suspects, to do this job much more cheaply and instantaneously, flagging any matches to a human operator for final assessment? According to the Divisional Court in Bridges, this may, depending on the facts of each particular deployment, be lawful.’

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UK Police Law Blog, 21st February 2020

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

Rules urgently needed to oversee police use of data and AI – report – The Guardian

‘National guidance is urgently needed to oversee the police’s use of data-driven technology amid concerns that it could lead to discrimination, a report has said.’

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The Guardian, 23rd February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK court hears bid to access fertility clinic’s records on dead person – The Guardian

Posted February 21st, 2020 in bereavement, data protection, families, family courts, news, pregnancy by sally

‘A legal action over access to a fertility clinic’s private records concerning the storage of a dead person’s “sperm and/or embryos” is being heard by the family court partly in secret.’

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The Guardian, 19th February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

What are the rules on workplace surveillance? – BBC News

Posted February 21st, 2020 in computer programs, data protection, employment, human rights, news, privacy, spying by sally

‘Barclays has faced a backlash after it piloted a system that tracked the time employees spent at their desks. The company has since scrapped the system – but how common is workplace surveillance and what lengths are employers allowed to go to monitor their staff?‘

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BBC News, 20th February 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Met Police remove 374 names from gangs matrix – BBC News

Posted February 17th, 2020 in data protection, gangs, news, ombudsmen, police, statistics by sally

‘The Metropolitan Police has removed 374 people from its gangs matrix after the UK’s data watchdog found it breached data protection laws.’

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BBC News, 15th February 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Judge orders MI5 not to delete databanks before end of surveillance trial – The Guardian

Posted February 11th, 2020 in data protection, intelligence services, investigatory powers, news by sally

‘MI5 has been ordered by a senior judge not to delete vast databanks of personal information it is storing pending the outcome of a trial over the legality of its surveillance procedures.’

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The Guardian, 10th February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Brexit and GDPR – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 10th, 2020 in brexit, data protection, EC law, fines, news by sally

‘Brexit has finally been ‘done’ but what can we data protection lawyers look forward to? Can we bin the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) along with our red EU passports?’

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Law Society's Gazette, 10th February 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Flight Risk: Cybersecurity in Aviation – The 36 Group

Posted February 4th, 2020 in airports, computer crime, data protection, encryption, news by sally

‘Cybersecurity is considered one of the top global risks to the world in the next decade. The problem is particularly acute for airports as they play an essential role in the economy and infrastructure of every country. Any incident involving airports would have widespread consequences to the industry, economy and society. The aviation industry finds itself at the heart of a number of regulations on data protection, network and information systems and security and safety.’

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The 36 Group, 3rd February 2020

Source: 36group.co.uk

MI5 May Be Forced To Destroy ‘Unlawfully’ Handled Personal Data – Each Other

Posted February 4th, 2020 in data protection, intelligence services, news, privacy by sally

‘Privacy groups have launched fresh legal challenge to pressure MI5 into destroying personal data which it has handled “unlawfully”.’

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Each Other, 3rd February 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Meadowhall facial recognition scheme troubles watchdog – BBC News

Posted January 28th, 2020 in data protection, facial mapping, identification, news, pilot schemes, police by tracey

‘Police involvement in a private landlord’s facial recognition trial has led a regulator to call for government intervention.’

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BBC News, 28th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Facial recognition could be ‘spectacular own goal’, police warned amid accuracy concerns – The Independent

Posted January 28th, 2020 in data protection, facial mapping, news, police by tracey

‘Facial recognition could be a “spectacular own goal” for police if it fails to be inaccurate and effective, the government has been warned. MPs raised concerns about the technology after the Metropolitan Police announced the start of live deployments in London.’

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The Independent, 28th January 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Community order for hacker who stole over 10,000 files from Royal Stoke Hospital – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted January 17th, 2020 in community service, computer crime, data protection, hospitals, news, sentencing by tracey

‘A former Royal Stoke Hospital employee, who used malicious software to crack the passwords of his co-workers and access over 10,000 confidential hospital files, has been given a 12-month community order.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 16th January 2020

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Dixons Carphone fined £500,000 for massive data breach – The Guardian

Posted January 10th, 2020 in data protection, fines, fraud, news by tracey

‘Dixons Carphone has been hit with the maximum possible fine after the tills in its shops were compromised by a cyber-attack that affected at least 14 million people.’

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The Guardian, 9th January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

5 UK Human Rights Issues and Trends to Watch in 2020 – Each Other

‘From landmark legal cases to a landslide general election result, and civil disobedience to constitutional upheaval – the UK had no shortage of human rights news stories in 2019.’

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Each Other, 6th January 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk