‘They didn’t know they were victims’: revenge porn helpline sees alarming rise – The Guardian

‘Victims and their loved ones report sense of powerlessness in face of flawed laws and mixed police responses.’

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The Guardian, 8th May 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Is ‘Big Data’ A Threat To Human Rights? – RightsInfo

Posted April 27th, 2016 in computer crime, data protection, EC law, human rights, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘One of the great benefits of modern society is the amount of information available to us everyday. Much of that information is now stored electronically. However, collecting a lot of information together creates risks. Big data showcases the potential utility of amassing information in bulk, but we need to be wary of the possible threat to our right to privacy.’

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RightsInfo, 16th April 2016

Source: www.rightsinfo.org

Court of Protection orders continued reporting restrictions after death – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The Court of Protection has just ruled that where a court has restricted the publication of information during proceedings that were in existence during a person’s lifetime, it has not only the right but the duty to consider, when requested to do so, whether that information should continue to be protected following the person’s death.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 27th April 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Misuse of your private information – Can You Put A Value On That? – 4 KBW

Posted April 26th, 2016 in appeals, damages, human rights, interception, media, news, privacy, telecommunications by sally

‘The Supreme Court has refused MGN Limited permission to appeal the decision in Representative Claimants -v- Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd [2015] EWCA Civ 1291 – the Court of Appeal’s decision regarding the appropriate level of damages in eight phone-hacking ‘test cases’. This decision itself was an unsuccessful appeal by MGN against the High Court decision in Gulatti & Ors v MGN Limited [2015] EWHC 1482.’

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4 KBW, 8th April 2016

Source: www.4kbw.net

Technology and the Law – Speech by Lord Neuberger

Posted April 26th, 2016 in courts, evidence, judges, news, privacy, speeches, trials, video recordings, witnesses by sally

Technology and the Law

Speech by Lord Neuberger, President of The Supreme Court

British Irish Commercial Bar Association Law Forum, 21st April 2016

Source: www.supremecourt.uk

Battle over success fees in privacy cases heads for Supreme Court – Litigation Futures

Posted April 21st, 2016 in appeals, fees, human rights, news, privacy, Supreme Court by tracey

‘The question of whether recoverable success fees in privacy cases are incompatible with publishers’ rights to freedom of expression is set to go before the Supreme Court, following a High Court ruling.’

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Litigation Futures, 21st April 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

UK spy agencies have collected bulk personal data since 1990s, files show – The Guardian

‘Britain’s intelligence agencies have been secretly collecting bulk personal data since the late 1990s and privately admit they have gathered information on people who are “unlikely to be of intelligence or security interest”.’

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The Guardian, 21st April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Celebrity injunction should be lifted, Court of Appeal rules – BBC News

Posted April 19th, 2016 in appeals, human rights, injunctions, media, news, privacy by sally

‘An injunction banning the media in England and Wales from reporting the identity of a married celebrity who allegedly took part in a threesome has been lifted.’

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BBC News, 18th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Can privacy survive publicity? – Judgment in PJS – Panopticon

Posted April 19th, 2016 in human rights, injunctions, internet, media, news, privacy by sally

‘It has long been clear that, so far as the common law is concerned, there is no neat dividing line between information which is private and that which is public. Thus, depending on the circumstances, information relating to an individual’s private life which has entered the public domain may yet engage privacy rights (see further e.g. McKennitt v Ash [2005] EWHC 303 (QB) and Green Corns v Claverley [2005] 958 (QB) and Rocknroll v News Group [2013] EWHC 24 (Ch)). However, what is the position where, notwithstanding that an injunction restrains the publication of the information domestically, the information is being extensively published and shared online elsewhere around the world?’

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Panopticon, 18th April 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Celebrity injunction: blogger defies legal threats as more papers print details – The Guardian

Posted April 13th, 2016 in appeals, contempt of court, injunctions, media, news, privacy by sally

‘Attempts to silence a blogger who published the identities of a celebrity couple at the centre of a UK press injunction appear to have backfired, as newspapers in Canada and Sweden published details of the story.’

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The Guardian, 13th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EU court hears case on UK data retention laws – OUT-LAW.com

‘The EU’s highest court will hear arguments on Tuesday concerning the validity of UK data retention laws.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 12th April 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Vicarious liability for rogue employee’s data leak – Panopticon

‘Suppose confidential, private and sensitive information is sold, leaked or otherwise wrongly disclosed by a rogue employee: is the employer vicariously liable? This question is a troubling one for many an employer and data controller. A new judgment on a claim for misuse of private information sheds some light on this question – and will not be comforting for employers and data controllers. The case is Axon v Ministry of Defence [2016] EWHC 787 (QB).’

Full story

Panopticon, 12th April 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

This celebrity injunction will probably rebound – a case of the ‘Streisand effect’ – The Guardian

Posted April 12th, 2016 in freedom of expression, injunctions, internet, media, news, privacy, publishing by sally

‘As a Scottish newspaper publishes details of a sex scandal, when does a legal fight to ensure privacy become a pointless exercise to restrict free speech?’

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The Guardian, 11th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Victims of press intrusion deserve better than a return to the status quo – The Guardian

Posted April 7th, 2016 in defamation, freedom of expression, inquiries, media, news, privacy, victims by sally

‘I was one of the victims of unscrupulous newspapers that David Cameron pledged to protect in the of wake of the Leveson report. Let’s ensure he keeps his promises.’

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The Guardian, 6th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Injunction ruling enables celebrities to hide sex lives, says top lawyer – The Guardian

Posted April 7th, 2016 in children, injunctions, media, news, privacy by sally

‘A leading media lawyer has claimed that celebrities have been given carte blanche to use their children to prevent stories about their sex lives being published, after a court upheld an injunction against the Sun on Sunday.’

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The Guardian, 6th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Press victims ‘betrayed’ by law delay – BBC News

Posted April 6th, 2016 in defamation, delay, inquiries, media, news, privacy by tracey

‘Victims of press intrusion have accused the government of breaking its promise over regulation. The group, which includes Kate and Gerry McCann, says a delay in bringing into law a key part of the Royal Charter agreement is a “betrayal”.’

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BBC News, 6th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

ICO gives fresh guidance to businesses on buying in marketing databases – OUT-LAW.com

‘Businesses should not promote products or services to consumers whose contact details they have bought from another company until they have checked that the seller obtained appropriate consent for such marketing activity, the UK’s privacy watchdog has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 1st April 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Regina (Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Britain and others) v Charity Commission – WLR Daily

Regina (Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Britain and others) v Charity Commission [2016] EWCA Civ 154

‘Following three trials of former members of Jehovah’s Witnesses’s congregations on charges of historic sex abuse the Charity Commission decided to initiate a statutory inquiry relating to a leading Jehovah’s Witness charity’s safeguarding policy regarding vulnerable beneficiaries in particular children, under section 46 of the Charities Act 2011, and to order the charity to produce a wide range of documents, under section 52 of the Act, even though none of those accused was connected with the charity. .The applicants, the charity and its trustees, sought judicial review of those decisions, on the grounds that (i) the commission had acted disproportionately by commencing an inquiry the scope of which was vague and undefined and by interfering with the applicants’ Convention rights, and had thereby breached its duty to act fairly so that the decision was irrational; and (ii) the scope of the production order was disproportionate in that information was sought of a personal and sensitive nature, within the meaning of the Data Protection Act 1998, and was furthermore in breach of the Convention rights of individuals affected. The judge in refusing permission to proceed with the judicial review clain held that the applicants had an effective statutory remedy by appealing to the First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) (Charity) against a decision to initiate an inquiry, and that any complaint relating to the breadth of a production order could be dealt with before that tribunal.’

WLR Daily, 15th March 2016

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Court of Appeal injuncts revelation of celebrity’s extramarital threesome – RPC Data and Privacy Law

Posted March 29th, 2016 in appeals, injunctions, media, news, privacy by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has granted a privacy injunction (its first since 2011) to prevent the Sun on Sunday revealing details of a well-known entertainer’s extramarital threesome (PJS v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2016] EWCA Civ 100).’

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RPC Data and Privacy Law, 23rd March 2016

Source: www.rpc.co.uk

Mirror Group refused permission to appeal landmark phone hacking damages awards – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 24th, 2016 in appeals, damages, interception, media, news, privacy, Supreme Court, telecommunications by tracey

‘Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) has failed in its bid to overturn a landmark ruling in which it was ordered to pay approximately £1.2 million in damages for infringing the privacy of eight individuals through phone hacking.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 23rd March 2016

Source: www.out-law.com