Census faces high court challenge over right to privacy – The Guardian

Posted June 21st, 2012 in census, data protection, disclosure, news, privacy, third parties by sally

“A high court judge will be told on Thursday that the 2011 census was unlawful because a provision in the act that governs it allows data to be passed to third parties.”

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The Guardian, 21st June 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

How will the proposed surveillance laws work? – BBC News

“Police and intelligence services will be able to access data about people’s phone calls, emails and internet usage in order to tackle crime and terrorism under Home Office plans.”

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BBC News, 14th June 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Websites may only place cookies without user consent if services would not work without them, say regulators – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 13th, 2012 in consent, data protection, EC law, internet, news, privacy by sally

“Website operators can only take advantage of an exemption from new cookie laws if site users specifically request a service or function and that service would not work without the serving of the cookie, EU data protection regulators have warned.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 13th June 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Google to be investigated over data cover-up claims – The Guardian

“Google is facing increasing pressure after the information commissioner launched an investigation into claims that it orchestrated a cover-up of its capture of emails, passwords and medical records of people in the UK.”

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The Guardian, 12th June 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Cookie law disaster should force companies to emulate patent world lobbying, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 13th, 2012 in consent, data protection, EC law, enforcement, internet, news, patents, privacy by sally

“UK authorities are beginning tentatively to enforce the cookies law and, after the compliance panic of the past month, companies can now sit back and examine where the fault lies for the development of such a poor, troublesome law.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 13th June 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Facebook to release ID of users who abused woman online – BBC News

Posted June 8th, 2012 in data protection, harassment, internet, news, privacy by sally

“A woman who was abused on the internet has won court backing in her bid to gain the identities of those who targeted her.”

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BBC News, 7th June 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Details of innocent people are still being held on DNA database – The Independent

Posted June 6th, 2012 in data protection, DNA, human rights, news by sally

“The Government is failing to delete innocent people from Britain’s vast DNA database, according to figures released today which shows that nearly 70,000 under-16s have now had their genetic fingerprints recorded.”

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The Independent, 5th June 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Consent not required for disclosure of fully anonymised personal data, ICO says – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 1st, 2012 in anonymity, consent, data protection, news by tracey

“Organisations that properly anonymise personally identifying information do not have to comply with data protection laws in order to disclose the altered information, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 31st May 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Retention of data on octogenarian protester “amply justified” – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted June 1st, 2012 in criminal records, data protection, demonstrations, human rights, news, police by tracey

“Catt v Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis [2012] EWHC 1471. Retention of data on a national database of material relating to a protester’s attendance at demonstrations by a group that had a history of violence, criminality and disorder, did not engage Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 31st May 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

London council fined £70k following child sex abuse data breach – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 22nd, 2012 in burglary, data protection, fines, local government, news by sally

“A local authority in London has been fined £70,000 after papers containing identifying details about child sex abuse cases were stolen from a social worker it employed.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 22nd May 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Data extracted from suspects’ mobiles retained in accordance with strict privacy guidelines, The Met says – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 22nd, 2012 in data protection, evidence, news, police, privacy, telecommunications by sally

“Information collected from suspects’ mobile phones using new data extraction technology is retained in accordance with strict guidelines that protect individuals’ privacy, the Metropolitan Police Service (The Met) has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 22nd May 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Almost 1,000 data offences recorded at DWP in 10 month period – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 22nd, 2012 in data protection, government departments, news, penalties by sally

“Staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) were disciplined a total of 992 times for unlawfully or inappropriately accessing individuals’ social security records between April 2011 and January this year.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 22nd May 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Clarifying cookie consent – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted May 21st, 2012 in consent, data protection, EC law, fines, internet, news, privacy by sally

“Three years have gone by since the European Parliament shocked and awed everyone by tweaking the e-privacy directive and introducing the most controversial word in the data protection glossary – consent – in the provision that deals with Internet cookies.”

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 18th May 2012

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 – legislation.gov.uk

Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 published

Full text of Act

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Regina (T) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis; Regina (R) Same – WLR Daily

Regina (T) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis; Regina (R) Same [2012] EWHC 1115 (Admin); [2012] WLR (D) 126

“The decision of the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis to issue and serve warning notices to those who had been accused of harassment or stalking by means of a Prevention of Harassment Letter or a Police Information Notice, and the retention of the documents or the underlying allegations in police records thereafter, could not give rise to any infringement of the subject’s rights under article 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms or under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the associated principles.”

WLR Daily, 27th April 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Aneurin Bevan Health Board fined £70,000 over data breach – BBC News

Posted April 30th, 2012 in data protection, disclosure, fines, medical records, news, privacy by sally

“A Welsh health board has become the first NHS body to be fined for breaching the Data Protection Act after it released sensitive data about a patient to the wrong person.”

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BBC News, 30th April 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Watchdog defends apparent discrepancies in fines for private and public sector data breaches – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 30th, 2012 in data protection, fines, local government, news, ombudsmen by sally

“The UK’s data protection watchdog has defended its policy of issuing fines after newly released figures suggested private sector organisations are issued with disproportionately fewer fines than local Government ones.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 27th April 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Six fines issued for data breaches – The Independent

Posted April 25th, 2012 in data protection, fines, freedom of information, news by sally

“Six public bodies were fined over personal data security breaches in the last year despite hundreds of reported cases, a report said today.”

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The Independent, 25th April 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Names of staff members who dealt with complaints are not necessarily personal data, Tribunal says – OUT-LAW.com

“The names of three junior members of staff who had handled complaints made to the financial services regulator should have been disclosed as part of a freedom of information request as disclosure ‘did not adversely affect their privacy’, a tribunal has ruled.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 18th April 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Government to give consumers control over smart meter data amidst privacy concerns – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 12th, 2012 in consumer protection, data protection, energy, news, privacy by sally

“Third-party companies will not be able to access data recorded in consumers’ smart meters unless consumers choose to let them see it, the Government has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 12th April 2012

Source: www.out-law.com