Private investigators should be licensed, say MPs – BBC News

“All private investigators in England and Wales should be licensed or at least registered, a committee of MPs has recommended.”

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BBC News, 6th July 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Credit firm fined £150k after losing personal data of half a million customers – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 6th, 2012 in consumer credit, data protection, fines, news by sally

“A consumer lending firm has been fined £150,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after it lost personal data belonging to more than half a million customers.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 5th July 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Joint Committee on the Draft Communications Data Bill call for evidence – Joint Committee on the Draft Communications Data Bill

“The Joint Committee is a committee of both Houses appointed to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Communications Data Bill. Inquiry Status: The Committee has issued a Call for Evidence, which asks for submissions by 23 August 2012.”

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Joint Committee on the Draft Communications Data Bill, 5th July 2012

Source: www.parliament.uk

Foreign powers will be allowed to access email and phone records – Daily Telegraph

“Foreign governments could be given details of Britons’ phone calls, emails and internet usage in another ‘deeply troubling’ part of new surveillance plans.”

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Daily Telegraph, 4th July 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

More data should be released, but only with extra anonymity checks, says Government – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 2nd, 2012 in anonymity, data protection, disclosure, news, privacy by sally

“Government departments must conduct tests to make sure that blocks of data they release do not result in the identification of individuals when combined with blocks of other released data.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 2nd July 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Energy smart meters are a threat to privacy, says watchdog – The Guardian

Posted July 2nd, 2012 in data protection, energy, news, ombudsmen, privacy by sally

“Hi-tech monitors that track households’ energy consumption threaten to become a major privacy issue, according to the European watchdog in charge of protecting personal data.”

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The Guardian, 1st July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police retention of photographs unlawful, High Court rules – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted June 27th, 2012 in data protection, human rights, news, photography, police, privacy by sally

“Liberal societies tend to view the retention of citizens’ private information by an arm of the state, without individuals’ consent, with suspicion. Last week, the High Court ruled that the automatic retention of photographs taken on arrest – even where the there is no prosecution, or the person is acquitted – for at least six years was an unlawful interference with the right to respect for private life of Article 8 of the ECHR, as enshrined in the Human Rights Act.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 27th June 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Publishing names of individuals in breach of proposed new financial services laws may break data protection laws, EU watchdog says – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 21st, 2012 in data protection, EC law, financial regulation, news by sally

“Financial services regulators may breach data protection laws if they are forced to publish the details of individuals who breach proposed new EU rules affecting credit institutions, a privacy watchdog has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 21st June 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

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 sally

“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

“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