Human rights group condemns Prevent anti-radicalisation strategy – The Guardian

‘The government’s Prevent strategy aimed at combating homegrown terrorism is stifling freedom of expression within the classroom and risks being counterproductive, a human rights report warns.’

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The Guardian, 13th July 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court of Appeal ruling ‘provides extra ammunition’ in fight against sale of counterfeit goods online, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

‘A new ruling by the Court of Appeal in London “provides extra ammunition” to brands in their fight against the sale of counterfeit goods online, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th July 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

FCA gives green light to use of cloud computing in UK financial services – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 8th, 2016 in electronic commerce, financial regulation, internet, news by sally

‘Financial services companies operating in the UK can make use of cloud-based services without falling foul of regulatory obligations, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said. However, firms may be disappointed that some of the guidance is not more specific or prescriptive in some areas, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 8th July 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Porn sites will need age verification from 2017, Government announces – The Independent

Posted July 7th, 2016 in bills, internet, news, pornography, privacy by sally

‘The Government has unveiled plans for age verification on porn websites in its new Digital Economy Bill, set to come into force in 2017.’

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The Independent, 7th July 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

New Digital Economy Bill laid before the UK parliament – OUT-LAW.com

‘Plans for establishing a universal service obligation (USO) on broadband, governing the installation and maintenance of telecoms infrastructure, facilitating public sector data sharing and regulating direct marketing activities have been published before the UK parliament.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 6th July 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Criminals winning ‘cyber arms race’ – National Crime Agency – BBC News

Posted July 7th, 2016 in computer crime, conspiracy, crime, internet, news by sally

‘Businesses and law enforcement agencies are losing the “cyber arms race” with online criminals, the UK’s National Crime Agency has warned.’

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BBC News, 7th July 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ofcom faces High Court action by CityFibre over claims it protects BT from broadband competition – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 6th, 2016 in appeals, competition, internet, news, ombudsmen, telecommunications, tribunals by Mark L

‘Ofcom has been accused of making “ridiculous” policy decisions that will cement BT’s position in the broadband market as a “single, unassailable wholesale infrastructure provider” in a High Court challenge by alternative network builder CityFibre.’

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Daily Telegraph, 5th July 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Fraud victims outside London have ‘little chance’ of police help – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 6th, 2016 in conveyancing, fraud, internet, London, news, police, solicitors, statistics, victims by Mark L

‘Fraud victims outside London whose cases are reported to the police have “little chance of any kind of investigation”, an authoritative study has found.’

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Daily Telegraph, 6th July 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Revenge porn: Widening the net? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted July 5th, 2016 in amendments, harassment, internet, legislation, news, pornography, Scotland, victims by sally

‘Little over a year has passed since the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (CJCA 2015) came into force, making it a criminal offence to disclose private sexual material with the intent of causing fear and distress; legislating for the increase in so called ‘revenge porn’. A slow uptake in successful convictions for this offence has prompted the tabling of further amendments which would serve to widen the ambit of revenge porn criminality, to lower the bar for prosecutions and to encourage reporting of these crimes by granting anonymity to victims.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 4th July 2016

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Identity fraud up by 57% as thieves target social media – BBC News

Posted July 5th, 2016 in identity fraud, internet, news, reports, statistics by sally

‘The number of victims of identity theft rose by 57% last year, figures from fraud prevention service Cifas suggest.’

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BBC News, 5th July 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Digital influencers’ must disclose paid-for content, says new guidance – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 4th, 2016 in competition, consumer protection, disclosure, internet, news by michael

‘Online publishers, bloggers, tweeters and other “digital influencers” must “clearly and prominently” label content they are paid to produce as paid-for promotions, new guidance developed by a body of regulators from around the world has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 1st July 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Kayleigh Haywood murder: Stephen Beadman jailed for life – BBC News

‘A man who raped and murdered a 15-year-old girl after his friend had groomed her through Facebook and texts has been jailed for at least 35 years.’

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BBC News, 1st July 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Legal professional privilege under fire – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘Sometimes the most fundamental principles can be most vulnerable to attack and/or erosion. As the government strives to tackle the threat posed by those who seek to undermine our democratic values in the context of an increasingly digital age, legal professional privilege (LPP) is in danger of becoming just that kind of principle.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 28th June 2016

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

BREXIT: UK net neutrality guidance could differ from the EU’s, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 29th, 2016 in brexit, EC law, internet, news, referendums, telecommunications by sally

‘The UK could set out its own guidance on net neutrality in light of the country’s decision to leave the EU, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 28th June 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Man jailed for 10 years for dozens of child abuse offences – The Guardian

‘A serial child abuser who contacted 11,000 minors across the world on social media in attempt to get them to perform sexual acts has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.’

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The Guardian, 27th June 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Paedophile who travelled 100 miles to rape 12-year-old girl jailed for six years – The Independent

‘A man who travelled 100 miles to rape a 12-year-old girl after blackmailing her online has been jailed for six years.’

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The Independent, 26th June 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Victims as young as one abused by online predators, says NSPCC – BBC News

Posted June 21st, 2016 in child abuse, children, internet, news, sexual grooming, victims by sally

‘A one-year-old baby was among thousands of child victims of sex abuse in 2015-16, according to police data on abuse that involved the internet.’

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BBC News, 21st June 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Revenge porn’ threats could be made a crime in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘The threat of circulating “revenge porn” would be criminalised and the evidence threshold lowered to bring England and Wales in line with Scottish law, under changes to be proposed by a former Lib Dem cabinet minister.’

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The Guardian, 11th June 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sexting offences increasing in schools, say senior police officers – The Guardian

‘Senior police officers are seeing an escalation in sexting offences in schools, according to a report submitted to MPs.’

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The Guardian, 9th June 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EU referendum: Voter registration extension could face legal challenge – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 9th, 2016 in EC law, internet, judicial review, news, referendums, time limits by sally

‘The EU referendum could face a legal challenge after the deadline for voter registration was extended by 48 hours when a Government website crashed.’

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Daily Telegraph, 9th June 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk