Broadcasters face spot checks on phone lines – The Guardian
“Broadcasters face unannounced spot checks on their operation of premium rate phone lines as part of a clampdown by regulators.”
The Guardian, 20th February 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Category: telecommunications
Mobile phone operators join forces to block child sexual abuse websites – The Times
“Europe’s mobile phone operators are joining forces to obstruct access to child sexual abuse websites. Leading operators, including Vodafone, Orange and 3, will announce plans today to install technology in their networks that will bar access to thousands of blacklisted sites.”
The Times, 11th February 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Prisoners routinely bugged as jails fall in shadowy area of surveillance – The Times
“Dozens of prisoners in British jails are routinely under covert electronic surveillance, security sources told The Times last night.”
The Times, 5th February 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Ofcom approves sale of £20 billion-worth of new spectrum – OUT-LAW.com
“Up to £20 billion-worth of radio spectrum will be released on to the open markets because of a decision by Ofcom to allow public sector bodies including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to trade or sell their allocated spectrum.”
OUT-LAW.com, 4th February 2008
Source: www.out-law.com
Illegal bug uncovered in second UK prison – The Times
“Bugging devices planted in a prison telephone were illegally used to record privileged conversations between an inmate and his solicitor, The Times has learnt.”
The Times, 5th February 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Phone taps run at a fraction of reported level – OUT-LAW.com
“Despite press reports to the contrary, public authorities tapped just 1,435 phones and not 250,000 in a nine month period in 2006. The larger figure includes less heavily regulated requests for information about phone usage.”
OUT-LAW.com, 30th January 2008
Source: www.out-law.com
Court delivers a blow to record companies on internet piracy – The Times
“Record labels and film studios cannot demand that telecoms companies reveal the personal details of people suspected of swapping copyrighted material on the internet, the European Court of Justice ruled yesterday.”
The Times, 30th January 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Watchdog sides with MI5 to reject phone-tap evidence – The Guardian
“The prospect of phone-tap evidence being used in court, an issue at the heart of the dispute over proposed anti-terrorism measures, received a blow yesterday when the prime minister’s eavesdropping watchdog opposed the idea.”
The Guardian, 29th January 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
3 fails in court bid to uncover evidence of alleged collusion – OUT-LAW.com
“Mobile phone network 3 has been refused permission to force its rivals to disclose emails and documents in a process that would have cost each of them £200,000. The High Court ruled that 3’s requests were not specific enough.”
OUT-LAW.com, 21st January 2008
Source: www.out-law.com
Police to use text message tactics to snare rape suspects – The Guardian
“Police and prosecutors in rape cases are set to experiment with controversial techniques designed to make suspects incriminate themselves through phone calls or text messages.”
The Guardian, 14th January 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Ofcom seeks new powers in wake of TV phone-in scandals – OUT-LAW.com
“The chief executive of media regulator Ofcom wants to expand his office’s powers with new laws that would make its programming sanctions as powerful as its advertising ones.”
OUT-LAW.com, 8th January 2008
Source: www.out-law.com
Channel 4 chiefs kept competition phone lines open despite knowing no one could win – The Times
“Channel 4 was fined £1.5 million by the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom after it emerged that executives knew that viewers were entering phone-in competitions they could not win.”
The Times, 21st December 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Phone tap evidence ‘should be allowed in terrorist asset cases’ – The Times
“Evidence from telephone taps and other surveillance should be permitted in legal hearings to freeze terrorists’ assets, Jacqui Smith proposed yesterday.”
The Times, 12th December 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Mobile phone rivals accused of colluding against 3 – The Times
“Britain’s four biggest mobile phone operators used their own industry trade body as a forum for colluding to shut rival 3 out of the UK market, the High Court heard yesterday.”
The Times, 5th December 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Ofcom sets two-hour deadline for mobile number porting – OUT-LAW.com
“Mobile phone networks must allow consumers moving to a rival network to take their mobile number with them and customers must be able to receive calls on that number within two hours of moving to the new network, under new rules coming into force in 2009.”
OUT-LAW.com, 29th November 2007
Source: www.out-law.com
Vodafone faces court case in “bugging” row – The Observer
“Senior British managers of Vodafone are facing a private lawsuit from the family of a former employee who claim that he was murdered to stop him revealing a major phone-tapping scandal.”
The Observer, 25th November 2007
Source: http://observer.guardian.co.uk
Thousands hit by phone bill scams – The Times
“Sales tactics used by mobile phone companies are to be subjected to strict new rules amid widespread evidence that customers are being duped over deals, The Times has learnt.”
The Times, 24th November 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Lie detector to target claimants – BBC News
“Lie detection technology will be used for the first time on telephone calls of unemployment benefit claimants.”
BBC News, 20th November 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
ITV checks if phone votes were ignored in The X-Factor – The Times
“ITV is examining fresh allegations of phone-in irregularities on The X Factor, a fortnight after the broadcaster was forced to own up to deceiving viewers out of £8 million on other programmes.”
The Times, 3rd November 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Kommunikationsbehörde Austria v Österreichischer Rundfunk (Case C-195/06) – WLR Daily
Kommunikationsbehörde Austria v Österreichischer Rundfunk
“The offer by a TV broadcaster to viewers to participate in a prize game by immediately dialling a premium rate telephone could constitute ‘teleshopping’ and ‘television advertising’ within Directive 89/552.”
WLR Daily, 22nd October 2007
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note: once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
