Section 40: Will the press be forced to pay the costs in court cases – even if they win? – The Independent

Posted January 9th, 2017 in consultations, costs, freedom of expression, media, news, privacy by sally

‘The Big Question: Are press reforms needed in the wake of the phone hacking scandal, or will they prove financially ruinous to some outlets?’

Full story

The Independent, 9th January 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

EU’s highest court delivers blow to UK snooper’s charter – The Guardian

‘“General and indiscriminate retention” of emails and electronic communications by governments is illegal, the EU’s highest court has ruled, in a judgment that could trigger challenges against the UK’s new Investigatory Powers Act – the so-called snooper’s charter.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st December 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The ‘radical’ challenge – Counsel

‘When does the state have the right to interfere in family life on the basis of radical views held by family members? Damian Woodward-Carlton reports on the inherent difficulties arising in the family courts.’

Full story

Counsel, December 2016

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

BBC disputes Cliff Richard payout claim over police raid coverage – The Guardian

Posted December 8th, 2016 in BBC, compensation, complaints, media, news, police, privacy by tracey

‘BBC bosses have drawn up a defence case after Sir Cliff Richard took legal action in the wake of reports naming him as a suspected sex offender. They deny the singer is entitled to compensation after publicity about a raid on his home in August 2014. Detail of the BBC’s defence has emerged in paperwork lodged by lawyers at the high court in London pending any court hearings.’

Full story

The Guardian, 7th December 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Eric King and Daniella Lock: Investigatory Powers Bill: Key Changes Made by the Lords – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted December 1st, 2016 in bills, investigatory powers, media, news, parliament, privacy, warrants by sally

‘What was formerly known as the Investigatory Powers Bill has received Royal Assent and is now the Investigatory Powers Act. The Bill was first published in draft form in November 2015 (- for a very helpful analysis of the Bill at this stage, please read Dr Tom Hickman’s blog). The passage of the Bill through Parliament, after it was it was introduced in March this year, took just under nine months. Amendments made by the House of Commons were described as ‘largely technical or minor drafting amendments’. Consequently, for all those hoping to see significant changes made to the legislation, a lot hung on the Bill’s amendments during its passage through the Lords.’

Full story

UK Constitutional Law Association, 1st December 2016

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

UK surveillance laws reformed in new Investigatory Powers Act – OUT-LAW.com

‘UK surveillance laws have been updated with the enactment of the new Investigatory Powers Act.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 30th November 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Investigatory Powers Bill receives Royal Assent – Home Office

Posted November 30th, 2016 in bills, intelligence services, internet, investigatory powers, press releases, privacy by tracey

‘A landmark bill which sets out and governs the powers available to the police, security and intelligence agencies to gather and access electronic communications has received Royal Assent.’

Full press release

Home Office, 29th November 2016

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Investigatory Powers Bill officially passes into law, giving Britain the ‘most extreme spying powers ever se en’ – The Independent

Posted November 30th, 2016 in bills, intelligence services, internet, investigatory powers, news, privacy by tracey

‘Britain’s intelligence services have officially been given the “most extreme spying powers ever seen”. The Investigatory Powers Act has now been given royal assent, meaning that those surveillance rules will pass into law. The bill was officially unveiled a year ago and passed through the House of Lords earlier this month, but the act of being signed off means that those powers now go into effect.’

Full story

The Independent, 29th November 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Naming your Abusers – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted November 24th, 2016 in anonymity, human rights, local government, news, privacy, sexual offences by tracey

‘Armes v Nottinghamshire County Council [2016] EWHC 2864 (QB).The right of a claimant to name the people who abused her prevailed over the rights of the perpetrators and others to private and family life.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 23rd November 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Why the bikini photographs of Princess Beatrice fell foul of Ipso – The Guardian

Posted November 21st, 2016 in media, news, photography, privacy, royal family by sally

‘Regulator censures Mail Online for ‘a gratuitous and invasive’ focus on the princess’s body, which ‘represented a serious intrusion into her privacy’.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st November 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Extreme surveillance’ becomes UK law with barely a whimper – The Guardian

Posted November 21st, 2016 in bills, investigatory powers, news, privacy by sally

‘A bill giving the UK intelligence agencies and police the most sweeping surveillance powers in the western world has passed into law with barely a whimper, meeting only token resistance over the past 12 months from inside parliament and barely any from outside.’

Full story

The Guardian, 19th November 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Mirror publisher pays out £500,000 to settle phone-hacking claims – The Guardian

Posted November 18th, 2016 in compensation, interception, media, news, privacy, telecommunications by sally

‘The publisher of the Daily Mirror has paid out more than £500,000 to settle phone-hacking claims by 29 people including the entertainer Les Dennis, presenter Natasha Kaplinsky and EastEnders actor Steve McFadden.’

Full story

The Guardian, 17th November 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK National Cybersecurity Strategy, and trying to predict the future – Technology Law Update

Posted November 18th, 2016 in computer crime, data protection, electronic commerce, news, privacy by sally

‘The UK government has released a National Cybersecurity Strategy for the next five years. It will always be a difficult enterprise to try to predict changes to the threat landscape for the digital economy, even over as short a time span as five years. But there is clearly a pressing need here with cyberattacks regularly in the news. A recent example was an attack on a group of hospitals that put patients at risk for several days.’

Full story

Technology Law Update, 18th November 2016

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

Quantifying Damages for Breach of Privacy – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted October 26th, 2016 in damages, data protection, human rights, news, privacy by sally

‘In October 2013, the Home Office published statistics on its family returns process, the means by which children with no right to remain in the UK are sent back to their country of origin. In addition to anonymised statistics uploaded onto the government website, the Home Office mistakenly uploaded the spreadsheet of raw data on which those statistics were based. That spreadsheet included personal details such as names and rough geographical locations of applicants for asylum or leave to remain, though not their addresses. The data was online for 13 days before being removed, but a number of IP addresses in the UK and abroad visited the relevant web page. Those concerned were notified, and brought claims under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the common law tort of misuse of private information.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 25th October 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Finance and Divorce Update October 2016 – Family Law Week

‘Edward Heaton, Principal Associate and Jane Booth, Associate, both of Mills & Reeve LLP, analyse the news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during September 2016.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 23rd October 2016

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Bosses behind nuisance phone calls could face £500,000 fine – The Guardian

Posted October 24th, 2016 in fines, news, privacy, telecommunications by michael

‘Rogue company bosses could face fines of up to £500,000 if their firm is behind nuisance phone calls under a government move to clamp down on the problem.’

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK security agencies unlawfully collected data for 17 years, court rules – The Guardian

‘British security agencies have secretly and unlawfully collected massive volumes of confidential personal data, including financial information, on citizens for more than a decade, senior judges have ruled.’

Full story

The Guardian, 17th October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Investigatory Powers Bill amended to recognise privacy as ‘a fundamental priority’ – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 14th, 2016 in bills, investigatory powers, news, privacy by sally

‘UK peers have agreed to amend the Investigatory Powers Bill to give specific recognition to privacy as “a fundamental priority”.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 13th October 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

New High Court judgment on privacy and data protection damages – Panopticon

Posted October 11th, 2016 in compensation, damages, data protection, news, privacy by sally

‘One of the major evolving issues in privacy and data protection law concerns the assessment of damages: when someone suffers a breach of their privacy or DP rights, how do you go about deciding how much money to award them by way of compensation?’

Full story

Panopticon, 10th October 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Controversial snooping technology ‘used by at least seven police forces’ – The Guardian

Posted October 11th, 2016 in interception, investigatory powers, London, news, police, privacy, telecommunications by sally

‘Controversial surveillance technology that indiscriminately harvests information from mobile phones is being used by at least seven police forces across the country, a far larger number than previously known, according to police documents.’

Full story

The Guardian, 10th October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk