Nuisance calls by ‘ambulance chasers’ soar despite attempts at crackdown – Daily Telegraph

‘One in five people receives an unsolicited, nuisance call every day in a practice fuelled by “ambulance-chasing lawyers,” a report has warned. The compensation culture, which is driven by claims management companies, has soared, despite government attempts to crack down on the practice.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 21st March 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Investigatory Powers Bill: May defends surveillance powers – BBC News

‘Home Secretary Theresa May has defended controversial new surveillance powers as MPs debated them for the first time.’

Full story

BBC News, 15th March 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The snooper’s charter is flying through parliament. Don’t think it’s irrelevant to you – The Guardian

‘While the Apple v FBI row makes world headlines, people in the UK are disregarding a bill that permits hacking and gagging.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Information watchdog slaps MP with £5k penalty over nuisance calling Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 11th, 2016 in elections, fines, news, privacy, telecommunications by tracey

‘A London MP, David Lammy, has been hit with a £5,000 monetary penalty by the Information Commissioner’s Office after he instigated the making of 35,629 calls over two days.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 10th March 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

UK spying laws: Government introduces law requiring WhatsApp and iMessage to break their own security – The Independent

‘The draft Investigatory Powers Bill, or Snoopers’ Charter, keeps a provision that weakening of security will only happen in cases where it is ‘practicable’, but that could still allow the Government to outlaw many of the most popular chat services as they currently exist.’

Full story

The Independent, 1st March 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office to publish revised draft of snooper’s charter – The Guardian

‘The home secretary, Theresa May, has revised some elements of her controversial “snooper’s charter” legislation in an attempt to address criticism by MPs and peers of the surveillance powers it confers.’

Full story

The Guardian, 1st March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regulator issues record £350,000 fine over PPI mis-selling calls – The Guardian

Posted March 1st, 2016 in complaints, data protection, fines, news, telecommunications by sally

‘A company that illegally sold on personal information and plagued members of the public with more than 46m automated nuisance calls relating to Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) mis-selling claims has received a record £350,000 fine.’

Full story

The Guardian, 29th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court of Appeal must maintain brand owners’ right to obtain website blocking orders, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

‘The Court of Appeal in London must maintain the right of brand owners to obtain website blocking orders against internet service providers (ISPs) as a means of enforcing their trade mark rights against infringers, an expert has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 24th February 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

The Leveson inquiry isn’t over, Cameron must keep his promise – The Guardian

‘It was clear from the start that the Leveson inquiry was to be conducted in two parts. The first section, examining the culture, practices and ethics of the media, reported back in 2012.’

Full story

The Guardian, 15th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Barrister suspended after text harassment conviction – Legal Futures

‘A barrister who was convicted of harassing his ex-partner with texts was last week suspended for three months by a bar tribunal for damaging the trust and confidence the public has in the profession.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 15th February 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

GCHQ hacking does not breach human rights, security tribunal rules – The Guardian

‘Hacking of computers, networks and smartphones in the UK or abroad by GCHQ staff does not breach human rights, a security tribunal has ruled.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ministers have not made ‘conclusive case’ for new web snooping powers – The Guardian

‘The home secretary has yet to make a conclusive case for giving spying agencies new snooping powers to track the web browsing histories of all British citizens, a key committee of peers and MPs has concluded.’

Full story

The Guardian, 11th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Apple under pressure as lawyers pledge action over ‘Error 53’ codes – The Guardian

‘Apple has come under pressure to scrap its controversial policy of permanently disabling repaired iPhone 6s when software is upgraded, following a global consumer backlash and claims the company could be acting illegally.’

Full story

The Guardian, 8th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Investigatory powers bill: snooper’s charter lacks clarity, MPs warn – The Guardian

‘The government’s investigatory powers bill lacks clarity and is sowing confusion among tech firms about the extent to which “internet connection records” will be collected, a parliamentary select committee has warned.’

Full story

The Guardian, 1st February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Fines for driving while on phone fall four fold in three years – Daily Telegraph

‘Sharp drop in penalties for motorists on mobiles fuels fears police are turning a blind eye.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 23rd January 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Phone hacking: Fresh News of the World claims to be heard – BBC News

Posted January 19th, 2016 in class actions, interception, media, news, telecommunications by sally

‘Fresh claims of phone hacking by the now defunct News of the World newspaper can be heard in court, a High Court judge has ruled.’

Full story

BBC News, 18th January 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

BT takeover of EE gets final Competition and Markets Authority clearance – BBC News

Posted January 15th, 2016 in competition, mergers, news, telecommunications by sally

‘BT Group’s takeover of mobile phone network EE has been given final clearance by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).’

Full story

BBC News, 15th January 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Licence stripped from company that made 40 million nuisance calls – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 13th, 2016 in claims management, licensing, news, telecommunications by sally

‘A company that made almost 40 million nuisance calls in just 3 months has today had its licence revoked by the Claims Management Regulator (CMR).’

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 12th January 2016

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Theresa May faces scrutiny over snooper’s charter implications – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2016 in bills, internet, investigatory powers, news, parliament, privacy, telecommunications by sally

‘MPs and peers are to challenge the home secretary, Theresa May, on the privacy implications and detailed operation of her snooper’s charter legislation when she appears before the bill’s parliamentary scrutiny committee.’

Full story

The Guardian, 13th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Councils call for online judicial approval of access to communications data – Local Government Lawyer

‘Councils should be able to apply for and be granted magistrates’ approval electronically for access to communications data, the Local Government Association and trading standards organisations have said.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 11th January 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk