Self-reporting of data breaches in the UK on the rise, where risk of fine is below 1% – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 16th, 2017 in data protection, fines, health, news, telecommunications by sally

‘Organisations face being fined in less than 1% of data breach cases self-reported to the UK’s data protection watchdog, according to new figures.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 15th May 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

How in-flight Wi-Fi works – 4 KBW

Posted May 15th, 2017 in aircraft, internet, news, satellites, telecommunications by sally

‘We’ve all had the same problem: you walk too far away from your Wi-Fi router and, all of a sudden, your Wi-Fi stops working. We all know that it’s simply because the router’s signal isn’t strong enough to reach you that extra few feet away. There is sadly a limit on the strength of Wi-Fi connectivity. But, if Wi-Fi is so dependent upon your proximity to a router, doesn’t it seem strange that Wi-Fi can work in an aeroplane, 35,000 feet above the ground?’

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4 KBW, 28th May 2017

Source: www.4kbw.net

Campaign group to challenge UK over surrender of passwords at border control – The Guardian

‘The human rights group Cage is preparing to mount a legal challenge to UK anti-terrorism legislation over a refusal to hand over mobile and laptop passwords to border control officials at air terminals, ports and international rail stations.’

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The Guardian, 14th May 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Nuisance marketing company that made 100m cold calls receives record fine – Legal Futures

Posted May 12th, 2017 in complaints, fines, news, nuisance, telecommunications by sally

‘A company behind 100m nuisance calls has been fined a record £400,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after more than 1,000 people complained about automated calls.’

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Legal Futures, 11th May 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Driver jailed for three years for ramming car into cyclist who confronted her for using mobile phone at the wheel – The Independent

‘A motorist who ploughed into a cyclist with her car after he challenged her for using a mobile phone while driving has been jailed for three years.’

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The Independent, 11th May 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Nuisance call firm Keurboom hit with record fine – BBC News

Posted May 11th, 2017 in advertising, complaints, fines, news, nuisance, privacy, telecommunications by tracey

‘A cold-calling firm has been fined a record £400,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for making almost 100 million nuisance calls.’

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BBC News, 11th May 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Phone-hacking cases continue 10 years after ‘rogue reporter’ jailed – The Guardian

Posted May 2nd, 2017 in damages, interception, media, news, telecommunications, trials by sally

‘Ten years ago the News of the World’s royal editor, Clive Goodman, and the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed for intercepting the voicemails of aides to Prince William and Prince Harry. Andy Coulson resigned from his position as editor of the tabloid shortly afterwards, and an internal investigation concluded phone hacking had been the work of one “rogue reporter”.’

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The Guardian, 1st May 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Huawei legal challenge against validity of Unwired Planet patent dismissed by London court – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 26th, 2017 in news, patents, telecommunications by sally

‘Chinese mobile device manufacturer Huawei has lost a legal challenge against the validity of a patent owned by Unwired Planet.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 25th April 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Henry Pearce: Some Thoughts on the Encryption Regulatory Debate – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Debates about the regulation of encryption technologies and surveillance have been around for decades. It is in unfortunate circumstances that these debates have now been thrust back into the public eye. Following the horrifying Westminster attack which occurred on 22nd March 2017 Amber Rudd, the UK’s Home Secretary, has been very vocal in suggesting that in order for the police and security services to be able to effectively investigate and prevent future terrorist acts they must be given access to over-the-top messaging services that utilise end-to-end encryption, such as WhatsApp. (End-to-end encryption services can generally be described as those which allows for conversations to be read only by the sender and recipient of individual messages, meaning that such messages cannot be intercepted and read by a third party.) Her comments appeared to have been driven by the fact that Khalid Masood, the perpetrator of the attack, had used WhatsApp shortly before commencing his appalling actions. In particular, Rudd has claimed it is “unacceptable” that governmental agencies were unable to read messages protected by WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, and in an interview given to the BBC on Sunday 26th March, intimated that she would consider pursuing the enactment of new legislation which would require the providers of encrypted messaging services to grant access to the UK intelligence agencies. This sentiment has since broadly been endorsed by the UK government.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 25th April 2017

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Woman jailed over Facebook birthday message death crash – BBC News

‘A woman who was trying to send a message on Facebook when she crashed into a pensioner’s car, killing him, has been jailed for 27 months.’

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BBC News, 24th April 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Nokia and Apple patent dispute comes before High Court in London – OUT-LAW.com

‘Finnish mobile device manufacturer Nokia was due to argue that Apple has infringed one of its technology patents before the High Court in London on Friday.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th April 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

You’ve got bail: judge lets lawyer off over beeping phone – The Guardian

Posted April 7th, 2017 in courts, internet, judiciary, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘The sudden trilling of a mobile phone amid the solemn atmosphere of a court hearing often leads to stern glances from the bench and cringing embarrassment from the offender. But Mr Justice Holman, one of the longest-serving high court judges in England and Wales, responded to an electronic interruption from one lawyer’s device in the family court on Thursday with compassionate forbearance.’

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The Guardian, 6th April 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Global v Aabar: The Court of Appeal state that contractual negotiations should be clear and unequivocal – 4 KBW

Posted April 6th, 2017 in agreements, appeals, contracts, news, telecommunications by sally

‘In the recent case of Global Asset Capital Inc and another v Aabar Block S.A.R.L and others [2017] EWCA Civ 37, the Court of Appeal held that the High Court was wrong to find that following a ‘subject to contract’ offer letter, a contract was concluded during a telephone call which was inconsistent with subsequent communications.’

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4 KBW, 31st March 2017

Source: www.4kbw.net

Mobile phone thieves jailed after police pursuit on M11 – The Guardian

‘Dramatic footage showing a mobile phone thief trying to escape police by driving the wrong way on the M11 has been released as the driver and his accomplice were jailed.’

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The Guardian, 3rd April 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Dozens of alleged hacking victims join action against Sun publisher – The Guardian

Posted March 31st, 2017 in compensation, interception, media, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘New claims bring number of people taking action against News UK over allegations their phones were hacked to around 50.’

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The Guardian, 30th March 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Snooping by police to be monitored by independent authority – The Guardian

‘A new independent surveillance procedure to prevent police officers granting themselves permission to access personal emails and records of web-browsing history is being established by the government.’

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The Guardian, 28th March 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

WhatsApp must be accessible to authorities, says Amber Rudd – The Guardian

‘Amber Rudd has called for the police and intelligence agencies to be given access to WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging services to thwart future terror attacks, prompting opposition politicians and civil liberties groups to say her demand was unrealistic and disproportionate.’

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The Guardian, 26th March 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

BT fined record £42m for late installations – BBC News

Posted March 27th, 2017 in compensation, delay, fines, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘BT has been hit with a £42m fine from telecoms regulator Ofcom and will also pay £300m to corporate customers for delays in installing high-speed lines.’

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BBC News, 27th March 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Plusnet fined £880,000 for charging more than 1,000 ex-customers – The Guardian

Posted March 23rd, 2017 in consumer protection, fines, internet, news, telecommunications by sally

‘Plusnet, the BT-owned broadband and landline company, has been fined almost £900,000 by Ofcom for continuing to charge more than 1,000 customers even though they had cancelled their accounts.’

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The Guardian, 22nd March 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

News focus: ‘Virtual justice’ and the IT panacea – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Just over six years ago, a taxpayer funded independent study of a pilot “virtual court” concluded that: “A rollout based on the pilot’s performance and parameters is likely to cost more money than it saves. A break-even scenario may be achieved, but this is still likely to be a challenge.” ‘

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Law Society’s Gazette, 20th March 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk