Criminals trawl Facebook and MySpace – Daily Telegraph
“Criminals looking to steal identities are trawling social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, experts warn.”
Daily Telegraph, 23rd july 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Category: data protection
Alarm at US right to highly personal data – The Observer
“Highly sensitive information about the religious beliefs, political opinions and even the sex life of Britons travelling to the United States is to be made available to US authorities when the European Commission agrees to a new system of checking passengers.”
The Observer, 22nd July 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Police gain data protection exemption for London surveillance – OUT-LAW.com
“Police in London have been granted exemption from the Data Protection Act to track the city’s motorists. The Home Office has granted The Metropolitan Police full, real time access to surveillance footage from London’s congestion system cameras.”
OUT-LAW.com, 19th July 2007
Source: www.out-law.com
Watchdog seeks an end to “horror” of personal data security leaks – The Guardian
“Britain’s data watchdog sparked a row with business leaders yesterday when he called for more powers to confront companies that fail to protect personal information held on computers. He wants a new rule that would allow investigators to look at files without the permission of company directors.”
The Guardian, 11th July 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Our data retention is not data protection watchdogs’ business, says Google privacy boss – OUT-LAW.com
“The retention of search engine query data is a security matter and not one for Europe’s data protection officials, according to Google’s global privacy chief. Peter Fleischer said that its retention of user search data was ‘just not their field.”
OUT-LAW.com, 6th July 2007
Source: www.out-law.com
‘Data laws aided our daughter’s suicide’ – Daily Telegraph
“The parents of a student who killed herself after developing anorexia at college have called for a change in the law after data protection legislation prevented tutors from telling her family she was sick.”
Daily Telegraph, 28th June 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Act 2007
Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Act 2007 published.
Full text of Act (PDF)
Source: www.opsi.gov.uk
330,000 users to have access to database on England’s children – The Guardian
“A giant electronic database containing sensitive information on all 11 million children in England will be open to at least 330,000 users when it launches next year, according to government guidance.”
The Guardian, 18th June 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Fingerprinting and eye scans for children as young as five – The Independent
“Schools are to get the go-ahead to fingerprint pupils as young as five, in new measures to be approved by the Government.”
The Independent, 17th June 2007
Source: www.independent.co.uk
DNA database agreed for police across EU – The Guardian
“A battery of police data-sharing and electronic surveillance measures to tackle trans-national crime and immigration issues was agreed yesterday by governments in Europe, 15 of which also gave the green light to a scheme for the world’s biggest biometric system.”
The Guardian, 13th June 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘No evidence’ of CCTV data breach – BBC News
“The Information Commissioner’s Office says it has not seen evidence which suggests that most CCTV systems are breaching its own code of practice.”
BBC News, 31st May 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Nearly all cameras illegal, says watchdog – The Times
“We are living in the surveillance age but 90 per cent of Britain’s 14.2 million closed-circuit television cameras may be failing to comply with the law.”
The Times, 31st May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Law failing to keep up with advances in data technology – The Times
“The 1998 Data Protection Act (DPA) is the main tool for the public to take control of its personal data, but there are concerns that the law is falling behind the technological curve.”
The Times, 26th May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Authorities should analyse risk before sharing data, says privacy chief – OUT-LAW.com
“Local authorities should conduct a risk assessment before sharing personal data with other public bodies. Sharing can be legitimate, but only when the benefits and risks have been weighed up, the Information Commissioner has said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 25th May 2007
Source: www.out-law.com
Health Department ‘broke law over doctors’ job test scores’ – The Times
“The Department of Health has breached the Data Protection Act by refusing to reveal to junior doctors the scores they achieved in the failed Medical Training Application System (MTAS).”
The Times, 22nd May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Plan to identify potential violent offenders condemned – The Guardian
“Council staff, charity workers and doctors will be obliged to tip off police about anyone they believe might commit a violent crime, under a Home Office plan revealed in a leaked document today.”
The Guardian, 21st May 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Information Commissioner demands new powers – OUT-LAW.com
“Information Commissioner Richard Thomas will demand new powers from Parliament today. Thomas will tell a Parliamentary committee that an increase in his authority is essential to stop the UK becoming a surveillance society.”
OUT-LAW.com, 1st May 2007
Source: www.out-law.com
Privacy watchdog slams EU-wide sharing of police data – OUT-LAW.com
“Europe’s privacy watchdog has expressed ‘grave concern’ about a proposal to share personal information between police forces across Europe, calling it a ‘lowest common denominator approach that would hinder the fundamental rights of EU citizens’.”
OUT-LAW.com, 30th April 2007
Source: www.out-law.com
Lords to probe surveillance society – OUT-LAW.com
“The House of Lords will investigate whether the UK’s ‘surveillance society’ is unconstitutional. The Lords’ Constitution Committee has asked for evidence in an investigation it has launched into surveillance in the UK.”
OUT-LAW.com, 30th April 2007
Source: www.out-law.com
October rule change won’t be a data protection crisis, says expert – OUT-LAW.com
“A data protection ‘crisis’ predicted by some experts has been overblown, and the law change behind it will affect only a very few organisations, according to a leading data protection expert.”
OUT-LAW.com, 26th April 2007
Source: www.out-law.com
