UK government to assess whether virtual currencies should be regulated – OUT-LAW.com
‘The UK government is to review the trade in virtual currencies to investigate whether it should regulated.’
OUT-LAW.com, 6th August 2014
Source: www.out-law.com
Category: internet
Wikipedia refuses to delete photo as ‘monkey owns it’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Wikimedia, the organisation behind Wikipedia, has refused a photographer’s repeated requests to delete his most famous shot as it is jeopardising his livelihood – because a monkey pressed the shutter button and “owns the copyright”.’
Daily Telegraph, 6th August 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
DRIP – Data Retention Regulations come into force – Panopticon
‘The introduction of the controversial draft Data Retention Regulations 2014 has already been discussed by my colleague Robin Hopkins in his excellent post last month. The Regulations now have the force of law, having come into force on 31 July 2014 – see the Regulations here. In his post, Robin made the point that, following the judgment in Digital Rights Ireland, there were two methods for curtailing the infringement of privacy rights presupposed by the existing communications data retention (CDR) regime: either cut back on the data retention requirements provided for under the legislation, so as generally to limit the potential for interference with privacy rights, or introduce more robust safeguards with a view to ensuring that any interference with privacy rights is proportionate and otherwise justified. The Government, which has evidently opted for the latter approach in the new Regulations, will now need to persuade a somewhat sceptical public that the safeguards which have been adopted in the legislation strike the right balance as between the protection of privacy rights on the one hand and the imperative to support criminal law enforcement functions on the other.’
Panopticon, 5th August 2014
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
Wikipedia link to be hidden in Google under ‘right to be forgotten’ law – The Guardian
Google is set to restrict search terms to a link to a Wikipedia article, in the first request under Europe’s controversial new “right to be forgotten” legislation to affect the 110m-page encyclopaedia.
The Guardian, 2nd August 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
The death of privacy – The Guardian
‘Google knows what you’re looking for. Facebook knows what you like. Sharing is the norm, and secrecy is out. But what is the psychological and cultural fallout from the end of privacy?’
The Guardian, 3rd August 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
The ‘right to be forgotten’ simply doesn’t exist – Daily Telegraph
‘Most people have moments in their past that they would prefer not to be in the spotlight. What if, when you enter your name in Google, the first thing that comes up is a link to an episode that you would like to be forgotten. Can it be forgotten? If it can, should it be? Should you have a right to have the link deleted? And based on what procedure?’
Daily Telegraph, 31st July 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Max Mosley to sue Google over sex party images – The Independent
‘The ex-Formula 1 boss Max Mosley is suing Google for continuing to publish images of him with prostitutes at a sex party.’
Full story
The Independent, 30th July 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Right to be forgotten is unworkable, say peers – The Guardian
‘A “right to be forgotten” – enforcing the removal of online material – is wrong in principle and unworkable in practice, a parliamentary committee has said.’
The Guardian, 30th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
House of Lords inquiry into social media offences – what the report really says – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘The report is born out of a widely held belief that the law on policing what should be permitted on social media, and determining between the morally unacceptable and the criminal, is woefully inadequate in the current age
[Warning: contains strong language]
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 29th July 2014
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
‘Revenge porn’ laws must be clearer, say Lords – The Guardian
‘Clarification is needed on the law around “revenge porn” and when it could lead to a prosecution, a committee of peers has said.’
The Guardian, 29th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Digital Economy Act copyright regime shelved by UK government – OUT-LAW.com
‘Work on a new online copyright enforcement regime under the Digital Economy Act (DEA) has been shelved now that rights holders and internet service providers (ISPs) have voluntarily agreed a framework for educating alleged infringers about the harm of piracy, the UK government has confirmed.’
OUT-LAW.com, 24th July 2014
Source: www.out-law.com
Drip surveillance law faces legal challenge by MPs – The Guardian
‘The application for a judicial review of the new legislation, which was passed with support from the three main parties, is to be mounted by the human rights organisation Liberty on behalf of the two backbench MPs.’
The Guardian, 22nd July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
DRIP: 5 unjust government arguments – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘It is suggested that the USA PATRIOT Act, legislation swiftly enacted by US Congress in the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist act was a “backronym” designed to play on the national pride around at the time. Clever political manoeuvring? Potentially so.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 16th July 2014
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
‘Cannibal’ nurse guilty of grooming underage girl – The Guardian
‘A nurse with a cannibalism fetish has been found guilty of trying to meet a 14-year-old girl after sexually grooming her online and promising to behead and eat her.
The Guardian, 21st July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Google “Right to be forgotten” – freedom of expression v privacy – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘In the context of the draft EU General Data Protection Regulations (the Draft Regulations) – which will replace the current EU Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC (the Directive) – should the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) Google Spain “Right to be forgotten” ruling be welcomed? Is it testing the “right to be forgotten” contained in the Draft Regulations before it is enshrined in legislation, or does it simply amount to the clumsy implementation of a “new” right without a democratic debate on its wider implications?’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 17th July 2014
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Will Drip law make UK citizens’ data more attractive to hackers? – The Guardian
‘The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers (Drip) bill that yesterday cleared the House of Lords will make companies holding UK citizens’ communications data far more attractive to criminal hackers, a security expert has warned.’
The Guardian, 18th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Police fear being overwhelmed as 660 suspects are arrested over paedophilia – The Guardian
‘Britain’s senior police officers said they were at risk of being overwhelmed by an unprecedented number of child abuse investigations after the arrest of 660 suspected paedophiles.’
The Guardian, 16th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Emergency surveillance bill clears Commons – The Guardian
‘Controversial emergency surveillance legislation has cleared the Commons after an extended sitting and angry exchanges alleging an abuse of parliament.’
The Guardian, 16th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Revenge porn – are we in need of stronger laws? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘Calls have been prompted largely by the rise of revenge porn itself, which in turn is attributable to the omnipresence of smartphones that allow photographs to be taken and uploaded to the internet within seconds. No specialist knowledge is required and many “apps” allow pictures to be uploaded at the click of a button. Once an image is on the internet in digital form it can be reproduced time and time again. The call for a specific criminal sanction follows considerable lobbying by campaigners and the issue receiving national attention following the revelation that the prime minister’s nanny was the victim of revenge porn. At present there is no specific criminal offence that adequately addresses the problem. Legal action and publicity in the US have also put pressure on the government to act.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 14th July 2014
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
NSA surveillance data: UK access to information faces legal challenge – The Guardian
‘The biggest domestic legal challenge to UK intelligence agencies accessing the mass data harvested by the US National Security Agency (NSA) begins on Monday, and may be one reason behind the government’s decision to introduce emergency surveillance laws into parliament next week, campaigners have suggested.’
The Guardian, 11th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
