The Bill of Rights Act 2022 and employment law: free speech implications – by Gus Baker – UK Labour Law

‘The “Bill of Rights Bill” (the “Bill”), introduced to Parliament on 22 June this year, has the potential to have significant implications for employment law. Once tribunals and courts accept the Bill’s exhortation to give “great weight” to freedom of speech, the consequences for workplace relations may be profound.’

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UK Labour Law, 6th July 2022

Source: uklabourlawblog.com

Warning new internet laws will hand ministers ‘unprecedented’ powers – The Independent

‘New internet legislation will hand ministers “unprecedented” censorship powers, with significant implications for free speech, new research warns.’

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The Independent, 27th June 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘The worst law on earth’: why the rich love London’s reputation managers – The Guardian

‘Boris Johnson has vowed to level the playing field on which oligarchs stifle those who scrutinise them. How can he do it?’

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The Guardian, 8th June 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

New rules to protect sex assault victims’ privacy – BBC News

‘Victims of sexual offences have been promised less invasion into their private lives under changes to how evidence is gathered for trials.’

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BBC News, 26th May 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Health data use undermined by pseudonymisation shortcomings, says Goldacre – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 20th, 2022 in data protection, doctors, health, news, privacy by sally

‘The practice of pseudonymising data fails to properly safeguard privacy and this impacts public trust in the use of their health data, according to an academic who recently led a government-commissioned review into the use of health data for the purposes of research and analysis.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 19th May 2022

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Actor Ricky Tomlinson opposing bid to have ‘hacking’ claim thrown out of court – The Independent

‘Actor Ricky Tomlinson has described an attempt by a newspaper publisher to have his claim against it over unlawful information gathering thrown out of court as “outrageous and disgusting”.’

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The Independent, 28th April 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Former Lib Dem MP and campaigner formally settles phone hacking claim – The Independent

‘Dr Evan Harris accepted “substantial damages” from NGN, publisher of the now-defunct News of the World and The Sun, to settle his claim for unlawful information gathering.’

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The Independent, 28th April 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

R (HM) v Secretary of State for the Home Department – Blackstone Chambers

‘The Divisional Court (Lord Justice Edis and Mr Justice Lane) have handed down an important judgment concerning the legality of the Government’s policy to search, seize and retain data from the mobile phones of migrants arriving by small boat.’

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Blackstone Chambers, 25th March 2022

Source: www.blackstonechambers.com

Rape victim sues police for naming her online – BBC News

‘A woman who was gang-raped by men claiming to be Welsh rugby players has sued the police for naming her online.’

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BBC News, 7th April 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK High Court rules blanket seizure of asylum seekers’ phones breached Article 8 ECHR – EIN Blog

‘On 25 March 2022, the UK High Court ruled that the Home Office acted unlawfully and breached human rights and data protection laws by operating a secret, blanket policy of seizing, retaining and extracting data from the mobile phones of asylum seekers arriving by small boat to UK shores between April and November 2020.’

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EIN Blog, 25th March 2022

Source: www.ein.org.uk

The Court of Protection and transparency – Local Government Lawyer

‘Lauren Gardner analyses a Court of Protection ruling on whether proceedings in relation to a 21-year-old woman should be open to the public and whether the judgment should be published.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 25th March 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Police guidance on facial recognition technology ‘a hammer blow to privacy’ – The Independent

Posted March 22nd, 2022 in facial mapping, identification, news, police, privacy, victims, witnesses by sally

‘Innocent people like victims and potential witnesses could be placed on police watchlists under guidance on the use of facial recognition systems, civil liberties groups have warned.’

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The Independent, 22nd March 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Government clampdown on the abuse of British courts to protect free speech – Ministry of Justice

Posted March 17th, 2022 in defamation, freedom of expression, media, news, privacy by sally

‘Wealthy individuals and powerful corporations who seek to silence critics by abusing the UK legal system have been put on notice by the government.’

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Ministry of Justice, 17th March 2022

Source: www.gov.uk

Firm fined almost £100,000 over ransomware attack – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 11th, 2022 in computer crime, data protection, fines, law firms, news, privacy by sally

‘Criminal defence firm Tuckers Solicitors has been fined £98,000 after failing to secure sensitive court bundles that were later published on the dark web and held to ransom by organised criminals.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 10th March 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

TikTok: lawyers ‘unwisely’ waited until last minute – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The High Court has dealt a blow to the claimant in a high-profile privacy claim against social media platform TikTok after refusing an extension of time for service.
In SMO (A Child) v Tiktok Inc & Ors Mr Justice Nicklin said that the “inescapable reality” of why the claimant needed an extension was that she had waited until the last minute to meet key deadlines.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 9th March 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Protecting the identity of a child whose sibling has been killed by their parents – Transparency Project

‘This was the issue in the landmark human rights case, Re S [2004] UKHL 47, in which Lord Steyn formulated the test in balancing privacy interests under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights with freedom of expression interests under Article 10. Lord Steyn’s formula is relied on (or should be) every time the media argue that it’s in the public interest to breach someone’s Article 8 rights. Likewise, every time an individual argues their privacy rights outweigh freedom of expression, we go to Re S.’

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Transparency Project, 8th March 2022

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Case Comment: Bloomberg LP v ZXC [2022] UKSC 5 – UKSC Blog

‘In this post, Jessica Eaton, an associate in the litigation team at CMS, comments on the Supreme Court’s decision in the Bloomberg LP v ZXC [2022] UKSC 5, case which cojeet_lthumbncerned the right to privacy in the context of a criminal investigation.’

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UKSC Blog, 25th February 2022

Source: ukscblog.com

Research Briefing: CCTV surveillance by your neighbour – House of Commons Library

Posted February 28th, 2022 in closed circuit television, data protection, news, parliament, privacy by sally

‘Constituents sometimes complain to their MPs that a neighbour’s CCTV camera is “intrusive” and ask what the law states.’

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House of Commons Library , 24th February 2022

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Bloombery v ZXC – the Supreme Court decides – Panopticon

‘The central question for the Supreme Court in Bloombery v ZXC [2022] UKSC 5 was, as Lords Hamblen and Stephens put it (with Lord Reeds, Lloyd-Jones and Sales agreeing): “whether, in general, a person under criminal investigation has, prior to being charged, a reasonable expectation of privacy in respect of information relating to that investigation”. The short answer was “yes”.’

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Panopticon, 21st February 2022

Source: panopticonblog.com

New Judgment: Bloomberg LP v ZXC [2022] UKSC 5 – UKSC Blog

‘The Respondent is a US citizen. He and his employer were the subject of a criminal investigation by a UK Legal Enforcement Body. During that investigation, the UKLEB sent a confidential Letter of Request to the authorities of a foreign state seeking, among other things, information and documents relating to the Respondent. The Letter expressly requested that its existence and contents remain confidential.’

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UKSC Blog, 16th February 2022

Source: ukscblog.com