Law Commission seeks views on smart contracts – Law Commission

Posted December 17th, 2020 in computer programs, contracts, Law Commission, press releases by tracey

‘The Law Commission has today [17 December 2020] launched a call for evidence to help ensure that the technology of smart contracts can thrive in England and Wales.’

Full press release

Law Comission, 17th December 2020

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk

Still no rules but full steam to April for whiplash reforms, says MoJ – Legal Futures

‘Ministers remain “determined” to implement the whiplash reforms next April, a top Ministry of Justice (MoJ) official confirmed yesterday, although it is still not certain when the rules governing the process will be published.’

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Legal Futures, 24th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Facebook’s Instagram ‘failed self-harm responsibilities’ – BBC News

‘Children’s charity the NSPCC has said a drop in Facebook’s removal of harmful content was a “significant failure in corporate responsibility”.’

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BBC News, 19th November 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

How Your Boss Could Be Spying On You At Home – And What Your Rights Are – Each Other

‘There are reports of bosses in some parts of the world downloading programs which screenshot their staffs’ computers at regular intervals to monitor their productivity.’

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Each Other, 19th November 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Robustness of software – Digital Evidence and Electronic Signature Law Review

Posted November 18th, 2020 in computer programs, employment, fraud, interpretation, news, postal service by sally

‘In the English civil court case Bates v Post Office Limited (Bates 2019), the properties of the Post Office Horizon transaction-processing system were investigated and argued.’

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Digital Evidence and Electronic Signature Law Review, June 2020

Source: journals.sas.ac.uk

BSB appoints reviewer to probe summer exam fiasco – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 5th, 2020 in barristers, computer programs, examinations, legal education, news by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board has appointed an independent reviewer to find out what went wrong during the summer exam period, in which a quarter of bar school examinations could not be completed due to technical faults.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 4th November 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

How smart devices are exploited for domestic abuse – BBC News

‘The number of domestic abuse cases has increased dramatically since the UK’s Covid lockdown – and tech has played a role.’

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BBC News, 18th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Academy trust facing legal challenge over award of £2m software contract – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 16th, 2020 in computer programs, contracts, local government, news, public procurement by sally

‘A large academy school trust faces litigation from a firm that lost out in the award of an IT contract.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th October 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Man denied £1.7m payout by Betfred takes fight to High Court – BBC News

Posted October 16th, 2020 in computer programs, consumer protection, contracts, gambling, interpretation, news by sally

‘A man who was refused a payout of £1.7m after his online betting company account was credited with the money is taking his case to the High Court.’

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BBC News, 16th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK passport photo checker shows bias against dark-skinned women – BBC News

Posted October 8th, 2020 in bias, computer programs, internet, minorities, news, passports, photography by tracey

‘Women with darker skin are more than twice as likely to be told their photos fail UK passport rules when they submit them online than lighter-skinned men, according to a BBC investigation.’

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BBC News, 8th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Government to pay £2m to settle coronavirus testing case – BBC News

Posted October 8th, 2020 in competition, computer programs, contracting out, coronavirus, news by tracey

‘The UK has agreed to settle a lawsuit over how it selected an IT contract for coronavirus testing at its Lighthouse labs.’

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BBC News, 8th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Vos: ‘lawyers face steep learning curve on tech’ – Law Society’s Gazette

‘All lawyers will need to become familiar with the concepts and workings of distributed ledger technology, smart legal contracts and cryptoassets, according to the next master of the rolls. In a foreword to a landmark report on the regulation of blockchain technology, Sir Geoffrey Vos says that the pandemic “has only emphasised our need to understand the ways in which technology is affecting our professional lives. Lawyers face a steep learning curve.” ’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th October 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Data protection challenges of remote working – Local Government Lawyer

‘Samantha Smith looks at how organisations can handle the data protection challenges of remote working.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 2nd October 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

The impact of digitalisation on the immigration process – EIN Blog

‘The coronavirus pandemic created an impetus for the legal world to finally begin accepting digitalisation of processes, moving away from the traditional paper process to an online version. The immigration process is already faced with a myriad of concerns which leaves the applicant in a weak position, and most often, with a lack of funds to cover their costs. The Home Office’s inability to train and effectively manage applications, outsource services to dubious third-party contractors has been exacerbated further by the haphazard application of online processes which do not match the needs of the immigration process. Despite the fact that online applications are easier to complete for legal representatives a number of issues have arisen as a result of this sudden change.’

Full Story

EIN Blog, 21st September 2020

Source: www.ein.org.uk

‘Farcical’ legal hold-ups caused by ageing systems – BBC News

Posted September 22nd, 2020 in adoption, computer programs, coronavirus, delay, news by sally

‘When Louise Westra and her partner decided to adopt a child in November 2018, they were aware of the long process that was ahead of them, but they were not to know that the coronavirus pandemic would hold them back from completing the adoption of their son.’

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BBC News, 22nd September 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Policing Our Privacy – Where Does the Law Lie? – 39 Essex Chambers

‘Last Tuesday the Court of Appeal (Sir Terence Etherton MR, Dame Victoria Sharp PQBD and Singh LJ) allowed the appeal of the civil liberties campaigner, Edward Bridges, against the decision of the Divisional Court which had dismissed his claim for judicial review of South Wales Police Force’s use of live automated facial recognition technology (“AFR”).’

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39 Essex Chambers, 17th August 2020

Source: www.39essex.com

Bar students call on regulator to waive exam requirement – Legal Futures

Posted August 20th, 2020 in barristers, computer programs, coronavirus, examinations, legal education, news by sally

‘A petition calling on the Bar Standards Board (BSB) to waive the requirement that Bar students complete the centralised BSB exams has attracted more than 1,000 signatures on its first day.’

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Legal Futures, 20th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB chief aims to arrange exam resits as soon as possible – Legal Futures

Posted August 18th, 2020 in barristers, complaints, computer programs, examinations, legal education, news by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is looking to arrange another round of exams well before December, its chief executive has told Legal Futures, as complaints about the online system mount.’

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Legal Futures, 18th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Barristers step in to support beleaguered Bar students – Legal Futures

Posted August 13th, 2020 in barristers, complaints, computer programs, examinations, legal education, news by sally

‘Barristers have offered to support the dozens of Bar students who have so far reported major problems with taking their exams, including having to urinate into bottles and buckets in front of their computers.’

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Legal Futures, 13th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar students hit by technical failures in first online test – Legal Futures

Posted August 13th, 2020 in barristers, complaints, computer programs, examinations, legal education, news by sally

‘A “small number” of Bar students were affected by technical issues that prevented them from completing their first online exam, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) said yesterday amid a stream of complaints, along with calls from practitioners for the regulator to act.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 12th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk