Google loses UK appeal court battle over ‘clandestine’ tracking – The Guardian

Posted March 30th, 2015 in appeals, consumer protection, damages, data protection, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘Google has failed in its attempt in the court of appeal to prevent British consumers having the right to sue the internet firm in the UK.’

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The Guardian, 27th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Is privacy dead? – OUP Blog

Posted March 24th, 2015 in data protection, EC law, human rights, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘In 1980, personal computers were still in their infancy, and the internet did not exist. There were, of course, genuine concerns about threats to our privacy, but, looking back at my book of that year, they mostly revolved around telephone tapping, surveillance, and unwanted press intrusion. Data protection legislation was embryonic, and the concept of privacy as a human right was little more than a chimera.’

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OUP Blog, 20th March 2015

Source: http://blog.oup.com

MoD ‘mole’ Bettina Jordan-Barber jailed over Sun leaks – The Guardian

‘A “mole” at the Ministry of Defence who made £100,000 from leaking stories to the Sun has been jailed for 12 months, it can now be reported after verdicts were delivered in a related trial.’

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The Guardian, 20th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Why the cookies law wasn’t fully baked – and how to avoid being tracked online – The Guardian

Posted March 19th, 2015 in computer programs, data protection, EC law, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘The UK uses the most tracking cookies of any EU country. How should you be protecting your privacy online?’

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The Guardian, 19th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Removal of clothing by police and Article 8 ECHR – Court of Appeal expresses sympathy for vulnerable position of children in custody – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The Court of Appeal has considered the compatibility with Article 8 ECHR of the police’s removal of a 14 year old girl’s clothing after she had been arrested and taken to a police station.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 9th March 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

UK surveillance laws need total overhaul, says landmark report – The Guardian

Posted March 13th, 2015 in intelligence services, investigatory powers, news, privacy by sally

‘Britain’s laws governing the intelligence agencies and mass surveillance require a total overhaul to make them more transparent, comprehensible and up to date, parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC) has said in a landmark report prompted by the revelations of Edward Snowden, the former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor.’

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The Guardian, 12th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Catt is put back in the bag – supreme court reverses court of appeal in police data retention case – Panopticon

Posted March 12th, 2015 in appeals, data protection, demonstrations, news, police, privacy, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Catt and T cases are both concerned with this important question: to what extent may the police lawfully retain records relating to individuals who have not in fact been arrested or charged in connection with any criminal offence. The Supreme Court has now had its say on this question – see the judgment here.’

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Panopticon, 11th March 2015

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

High Court considers purpose behind subject access request under the DPA – Panopticon

‘It is not uncommon for data controllers to be faced with subject access requests under s. 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998 the motivations for which appear to have nothing whatever to do with the purposes of the DPA. The DPA seeks to protect individuals’ privacy rights with respect to data which is processed about them. The subject access provisions help people check up on that data and its processing (see for example YS v Minister voor Immigratie (Cases C-141/12 & C-372/12)). In practice, however, a subject access request is a fishing expedition with an eye on prospective litigation.’

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Panopticon, 10th March 2015

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Public protest, private rights – UK Human Rights Blog

‘R (Catt) and R (T) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2015] UKSC 9. A majority of the Supreme Court has held that the retention by police of information on the Domestic Extremism Database about a 91 year-old activist’s presence at political protests was (1) in accordance with the law and (2) a proportionate interference with his right to a private life under Article 8(1) of the ECHR.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 6th March 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

MPs ‘dismayed’ that police continue to compile database of faces – The Guardian

‘A committee of MPs has condemned police for continuing to upload custody photographs, including of people never charged, to a face recognition database, despite a high court judgement that ruled the practice was unlawful.’

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The Guardian, 7th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Brighton activist John Catt loses extremism database case – BBC News

Posted March 5th, 2015 in data protection, human rights, news, police, privacy by sally

‘Police chiefs have won a court battle against a 90-year-old peace activist fighting to have his personal details removed from an extremism database.’

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BBC News, 4th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ex-banker awarded £70,000 after police wrongly released his picture as ‘most-wanted’ rapist – The Independent

Posted March 3rd, 2015 in compensation, data protection, news, police, privacy by sally

‘A former City banker has won nearly £70,000 in damages from Essex Police after he was named on a “most wanted list” as a suspected rapist on the run – despite phoning the force on his own initiative and offering to fly from Dubai to explain his innocence.’

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The Independent, 2nd March 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Access all areas? – New Law Journal

‘Overriding lawyer-client & confidential communications is incompatible with the rule of law, as Nicholas Griffin QC, Robert O’Sullivan QC & Gordon Nardell QC explain.’

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New Law Journal, 27th February 2015

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

The Big Fat Gypsy Judicial Review – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 27th, 2015 in codes of practice, complaints, human rights, media, news, privacy, racism, travellers by sally

‘Traveller Movement v Ofcom and Channel 4, [2015] EWHC 406 (Admin), 20 February 2015. One of the nation’s great televisual fascinations last week became the unlikely subject of an Administrative Court judgment that demonstrates the limits of common law standards of fairness, as well as the lightness of touch applied by the courts when reviewing the decision-making of the media regulator.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 26th February 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

“Keep our kids safe from predators” FB page on the rampage again – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 26th, 2015 in damages, human rights, internet, news, privacy, release on licence by sally

‘The plaintiff was a former sex offender who had been identified on a Facebook page run by the second defendant called “Keep Our Kids Safe From Predators 2″. He had been released on licence and he was apprehensive about his safety upon his return to the community.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 25th February 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Facing justice: judgment against Facebook in privacy/data protection case – Panopticon

Posted February 26th, 2015 in data protection, EC law, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘The extent to which privacy and data protection rights can effectively resonate within the online environment is an acutely important issue for all information law practitioners. Moreover, it is an issue which seems to be gaining ever increasing traction in the litigation context, as is illustrated not least by the following developments.’

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Panopticon, 25th February 2015

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Britain is leading the charge against basic human rights, Amnesty claims – The Independent

‘Increased surveillance in Britain, along with the reduction of access to justice, have contributed to one of the worst assaults on human rights in Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall, according to a damning assessment by Amnesty International.’

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The Independent, 25th February 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

How your phone and fitness band could end up giving evidence against you – The Guardian

‘A criminal suspect can’t be forced to divulge their phone passcode, a US circuit court judge ruled in October 2014. Yet law enforcement officials can compel a suspect to provide a fingerprint – which they can then use to unlock the phone and obtain data which may prove the case against them.’

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The Guardian, 24th February 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sir Cliff Richard’s privacy was ‘violated’ by police deal with BBC, report claims – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 24th, 2015 in BBC, freedom of information, media, news, police, privacy, reports by sally

‘A damning report has alleged that ‘incompetent’ police chiefs violated Sir Cliff Richard’s privacy by disclosing details of a raid on his home to the BBC’

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Daily Telegraph, 23rd February 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

I did not enter journalism to become a criminal, says Sun’s royal editor – The Guardian

Posted February 24th, 2015 in armed forces, corruption, media, news, privacy, royal family by sally

‘The Sun’s royal editor has said he “did not come into journalism to become a criminal”, telling jurors he would not have touched a story with “a barge pole” if he thought it meant breaking the law.’

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The Guardian, 23rd February 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk