Paedophile who encouraged abuse of boy in America jailed – Crown Prosecution Service

‘A paedophile who encouraged the abuse of a young boy in America from his computer in Wales has been jailed today (July 12).’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 12th July 2017

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

PM orders inquiry into intimidation of MPs during general election – The Guardian

‘Theresa May has ordered an investigation into intimidation experienced by candidates during the last election after a barrage of complaints by MPs about death threats and harassment.’

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The Guardian, 12th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Aristocrat faces jail after being menacing and racist about Gina Miller – The Guardian

Posted July 12th, 2017 in internet, news, racism, threatening behaviour by sally

‘A viscount who offered money on Facebook for anyone to run over and kill anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller is facing jail after being convicted of sending menacing messages.’

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The Guardian, 11th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Spending on Online Court “should be halted”, says leading academic – Legal Futures

Posted July 10th, 2017 in courts, dispute resolution, internet, news by sally

‘No further public money should be spent on the Online Court until the performance of the newly-expanded online tribunal in British Columbia – which went live for small claims last month – has been assessed, according to veteran justice campaigner Professor Roger Smith.’

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Legal Futures, 7th July 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Injunction halts ‘fake news’ campaign against UK businessman – The Guardian

Posted July 10th, 2017 in defamation, injunctions, internet, news, precedent by sally

‘Lawyers have tackled an online “fake news” campaign against a British businessman by serving an injunction against “persons unknown” in what is believed to set a legal precedent.’

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The Guardian, 9th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

“Quick and dirty” online justice better than no justice, says Neuberger as he laments legal aid policy failure – Legal Futures

‘“Quick and dirty” online dispute resolution (ODR) is better than “no justice or absurdly over-priced justice”, the president of the Supreme Court has said in a wide-ranging speech that included a devastating critique of legal aid policy over the past two decades.’

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Legal Futures, 5th July 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Online fraud costs public billions but is still not a police priority, says watchdog – The Guardian

Posted June 30th, 2017 in computer crime, fraud, internet, news by tracey

‘Police forces are not doing enough to tackle the growing threat of online fraud, a public spending watchdog has found. The National Audit Office (NAO) said the issue was “not yet a priority” for all local police forces and the problem had been overlooked by government, law enforcement and industry.’

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The Guardian, 30th June 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Watchdog clamps down on online gambling – BBC News

Posted June 26th, 2017 in competition, consumer protection, gambling, internet, news by sally

‘The competition regulator is to take action against some online gambling companies which it suspects of breaking consumer law.’

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BBC News, 23rd June 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lighting company fined for breaching competition law through online price restrictions – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 23rd, 2017 in competition, fines, internet, news, price fixing by tracey

‘A lighting supplier has been fined £2.7 million for requiring retailers to use a minimum price when selling its products online.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 21st June 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Watchdog targets online gambling firms that ‘load the dice’ against players – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 23rd, 2017 in consumer protection, gambling, internet, news by tracey

‘Online gambling companies will have to change their “unfair” sign-up deals or face a legal challenge after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it was launching enforcement action against operators that it believes to be breaking consumer law.’

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Daily Telegraph, 23rd June 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Council appeals £150k fine imposed over publication of sensitive data – Local Government Lawyer

‘Basildon Council has confirmed it is to appeal the imposition by the Information Commissioner of a £150,000 monetary penalty for publishing sensitive personal information about a family in planning application documents that were made publicly available online.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 20th June 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

The Lord Slynn Memorial Lecture by Sir Terence Etherton, Master of the Rolls: The Civil Court of the Future – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted June 15th, 2017 in civil justice, courts, internet, judges, speeches by sally

The Lord Slynn Memorial Lecture by Sir Terence Etherton, Master of the Rolls: The Civil Court of the Future

Judiciary of England and Wales, 15th June 2017

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Nick Barber: The Legal Academic In the Internet Age – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted June 15th, 2017 in internet, legal education, news, publishing, universities by sally

‘I was contemplating my lectures for the coming academic year and I started to feel annoyed – I think the two were connected. Lecturing has started to seem a rather odd and inefficient way of communicating information about constitutional law to students. Though lectures can be fun to deliver, they are also a pain. For the lecturer, they consume a significant amount of time and energy, raising a sense of déjà vu, as last year’s insights and jokes are dusted off for a new audience. But things are worse for those who have to listen to the thing: dragged into a lecture that can last for an hour or more, a moment’s lack of concentration can mean important points are missed – and few in the audience will only suffer a moment’s inattention. It is becoming obvious that the opportunities presented by the Internet will change this over the coming few years; I would bet that the old-style lecture will only last little while longer (though there are strong forces of creaking institutional inertia protecting it). Putting to one side next year’s teaching, I began to speculate on the ways in which the Internet might change the ways in which we, as legal scholars, communicate our subject to students and to people more generally in the medium term. In this post, I will reflect on how I see legal academia developing over the next five or so years – I think we are on the cusp of a very exciting and largely positive shift in the way in which we operate.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 14th June 2017

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Free speech and e-media – Counsel

‘Google, Facebook, Twitter and other intermediaries increasingly face a broadly united front of protest. Is it time to regulate? asks Richard Spearman QC.’

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Counsel, June 2017

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Rules on the portability of online content finalised – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 9th, 2017 in EC law, internet, markets, news by sally

‘Online content service providers will be obliged to ensure that consumers in the EU can access the material they subscribe to when they are “temporarily present” in another EU country, under new rules approved by EU law makers.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 9th June 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Digital legacies need legal protection say lawyers – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 8th, 2017 in executors, internet, news, wills by sally

‘Solicitors and legal academics have called for new powers enabling people to decide what happens to their digital legacy when they die, including by making a provision for online data to be included in wills.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 7th June 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Cyber child sex offences increase by nearly half, NSPCC finds – The Independent

Posted June 1st, 2017 in child abuse, internet, news, reports, sexual offences by sally

‘”Figures give us an insight into how crimes are changing and how access to children is changing through the use of the internet,” charity expert tells The Independent’

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The Independent, 1st June 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Council fined £150k for publishing sensitive data in online planning documents – Local Government Lawyer

‘Basildon Borough Council has been fined £150,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for publishing sensitive personal information about a family in planning application documents that were made publicly available online.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 31st May 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Defamation cases slump to nine-year low – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 30th, 2017 in defamation, internet, legislation, news, statistics by sally

‘The number of reported defamation cases in the UK is at the lowest level since 2008/9, partly due to the Defamation Act 2013, according to research published today.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 30th May 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Publishers call for rethink of proposed changes to online privacy laws – The Guardian

Posted May 30th, 2017 in advertising, internet, news, privacy, publishing by sally

‘An alliance of news publishers has called on European regulators to rethink proposed changes to online privacy laws, arguing that they will potentially kill their digital businesses and give Google, Apple and Facebook too much control of advertising and personal data.’

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The Guardian, 29th May 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com