Prisons shakeup to give governors more control over rehabilitation – The Guardian

Posted February 23rd, 2017 in bills, courts, internet, news, prisons, rehabilitation by sally

‘Prison governors are to be held to account for getting offenders off drugs, into jobs and learning English and maths under new powers to be detailed in the justice secretary’s flagship legislation to tackle the prison crisis.’

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Search engines and rights holders finalise new code to address online copyright infringement – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 22nd, 2017 in codes of practice, computer programs, copyright, internet, news by sally

‘Google and Microsoft, together with representatives from the UK creative industries, have agreed on a new voluntary code to address online copyright infringement.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 22nd February 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Online court “visible by September and no big bang”, top judge reveals – Legal Futures

‘The first signs of an online court (OC) will be visible in tribunals by September, online processes will be extended to a wide range of civil court proceedings by May 2020, and the reforms will be incremental, according to one of the judges in charge.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 22nd February 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Ground-breaking code of practice to tackle pirate websites – Technology Law Update

Posted February 22nd, 2017 in codes of practice, computer crime, copyright, internet, news, piracy by sally

‘A ground-breaking new initiative targeting online piracy brings together the creative industries and leading search engines under a voluntary code of practice to tackle copyright infringing sites. The deal, brokered by the UK Intellectual Property Office, with the support of Ofcom and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, will involve collaborative work to demote search results that link to illegal sites. There will be ongoing technical consultation and information sharing to improve the process and adapt to change.’

Full story

Technology Law Update, 21st February 2017

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Watchdog to pursue essay-cheat websites – BBC News

Posted February 22nd, 2017 in internet, news, penalties, plagiarism, standards, universities by sally

‘The universities watchdog is being asked to pursue websites advertising essay-writing services for students.’

Full story

BBC News, 21st February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Introducing the litigant in person network – Legal Voice

Posted February 21st, 2017 in civil justice, internet, legal representation, litigants in person, news by sally

‘The Litigant in Person Network is an online platform which aims to connect a wide range of people with a common goal of improving access to justice. Coordinated by the Litigant in Person Support Strategy, and supported by The Legal Education Foundation, the network is a place for interested professionals to share, discussion and collaborate across sectors on issues relating to both actual and potential Litigants in Person (LiPs).’

Full story

Legal Voice, 20th February 2017

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Ransomware fast becoming the top cyber risk facing organisations, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 17th, 2017 in computer crime, internet, news by sally

‘Ransomware is fast becoming the biggest cyber risk facing organisations, who often feel pressured to pay criminals to give them back control over the data they have encrypted or deleted.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 16th February 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

New law to stop adults sexting children not being enforced – The Guardian

Posted February 16th, 2017 in children, internet, news, sexual grooming, telecommunications by sally

‘Tough new laws that make it a criminal offence for an adult to send sexually explicit messages to a child under 16 are still not being enforced almost two years after they were passed by parliament, child protection campaigners have said. ‘

Full story

The Guardian, 16th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Search engines and rights holders near deal on code to combat online copyright infringement – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 15th, 2017 in computer programs, copyright, internet, news by sally

‘Search engines and creative industry representatives are close to finalising a new voluntary code of practice aimed to combating online copyright infringement, a UK peer has said’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 10th February 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Knowing where your data is processed in the cloud not central to exercising control over it, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

‘It should not be obligatory for banks in the UK to pre-agree where their data will be processed and stored when contracting with cloud service providers.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 13th February 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Legal Ombudsman suspends publication of complaints data over accuracy concerns – Legal Futures

Posted February 13th, 2017 in case management, complaints, internet, legal ombudsman, mistake, news by sally

‘The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has pulled from its website the details of law firms and chambers that have been subject to complaints because of concerns over their accuracy, it has emerged.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 13th February 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Archaic’ official secrets laws unfit for digital age – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 7th, 2017 in internet, Law Commission, news, official secrets act, reports by sally

‘Legislation drafted to stop Edwardian secret agents lurking around dockyards or purloining papers from ambassadors’ desks is still the basis of protecting official data in the Wikileaks era, according to the Law Commission. In a report commissioned by the Cabinet Office on the protection of official data, the law reform body describes the body of law protecting data as ‘irrational, dispersed and lacking in uniformity’.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 6th February 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Claims of child-on-child sexual offences soar in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Allegations of children committing sexual offences against other children have risen 78% in England and Wales in four years, prompting renewed calls for compulsory education on sexual consent and healthy relationships.’

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

AI revolution could hit access to justice for people on low incomes – Legal Futures

‘Artificial intelligence (AI) could have a knock-on impact on legal services for poorer people, such as weakening pro bono assistance by cutting the number of commercial lawyers, according to a report by Professor Roger Smith.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 2nd February 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Fake news’ inquiry opened by MPs – OUT-LAW.com

‘A UK parliamentary committee has opened an inquiry into so-called ‘fake news’.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 31st January 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Digital warning over tribunal reforms – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The government should learn lessons from failed attempts to introduce new technology to improve the way employment tribunals work, the Law Society has warned.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 27th January 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Drunken girl gang jailed after posting sex attack of amateur footballer on Snapchat – Daily Telegraph

‘A drunken gang of girls who took Snapchat photos and videos of a “ritualised humiliation” sex attack on an amateur footballer has been jailed.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 27th January 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

UK fraud hits record £1.1bn as cybercrime soars – The Guardian

Posted January 24th, 2017 in computer crime, fraud, internet, news by sally

‘The value of fraud committed in the UK last year topped £1bn for the first time since 2011, prompting a warning about increasing cyber crime and the risk of more large-scale scams as the economy comes under pressure.’

Full story

The Guardian, 24th January 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Paedophile Adam Isaac groomed boys on Minecraft – BBC News

‘A man who groomed young boys through the online game Minecraft has been jailed for two years and eight months.’

Full story

BBC News, 20th Janaury 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Online dating fraud victim numbers at record high – BBC News

Posted January 23rd, 2017 in foreign jurisdictions, fraud, internet, news, telecommunications by sally

‘The number of people defrauded in the UK by online dating scams reached a record high in 2016, the Victoria Derbyshire programme has learned.’

Full story

BBC News, 23rd January 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk