Gang jailed over pensioner phone scam – BBC News
‘Eight men from London have been jailed for a phone scam that defrauded UK pensioners out of more than £1m.’
BBC News, 4th May 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: telecommunications
Police accused of ‘stark errors’ and ‘cherry picking’ in university rape case – The Independent
‘Police made “stark errors” during an investigation into four young men accused of gang rape, a court has heard.’
The Independent, 27th April 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Misuse of your private information – Can You Put A Value On That? – 4 KBW
‘The Supreme Court has refused MGN Limited permission to appeal the decision in Representative Claimants -v- Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd [2015] EWCA Civ 1291 – the Court of Appeal’s decision regarding the appropriate level of damages in eight phone-hacking ‘test cases’. This decision itself was an unsuccessful appeal by MGN against the High Court decision in Gulatti & Ors v MGN Limited [2015] EWHC 1482.’
4 KBW, 8th April 2016
Source: www.4kbw.net
UK spy agencies have collected bulk personal data since 1990s, files show – The Guardian
‘Britain’s intelligence agencies have been secretly collecting bulk personal data since the late 1990s and privately admit they have gathered information on people who are “unlikely to be of intelligence or security interest”.’
The Guardian, 21st April 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
EU court hears case on UK data retention laws – OUT-LAW.com
‘The EU’s highest court will hear arguments on Tuesday concerning the validity of UK data retention laws.’
OUT-LAW.com, 12th April 2016
Source: www.out-law.com
Upholding fundamental rights or ensuring accurate verdicts? The ECtHR and the use of unchallengeable witness evidence – UK Human Rights Blog
‘The European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR”) has held that the use of telephone recordings as evidence in a criminal trial, despite the inability of the accused to challenge the caller, did not violate his rights under Article 6, ECHR. This judgment follows a number of Grand Chamber judgments on similar issues that have altered the ECtHR’s stance on the subject of absent witness evidence.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 4th April 2016
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Sports clip App infringes copyright – Sports Law Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers
‘The recent decision of Arnold J. in (1) England & Wales Cricket Board Ltd, (2) Sky UK Ltd v (1) Tixdaq Ltd, (2) Fanatix Ltd [2016] EWHC 575 (Ch) is important not only for sports rights holders and broadcasters, but for all those involved and interested in the limits of copyright protection law in a fast moving world where developments in information technology constantly challenge the way we communicate and consume.’
Sports Law Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 31st March 2016
Source: www.sportslawbulletin.org
Ofcom to hold back ‘adequate spectrum’ for use by connected devices – OUT-LAW.com
‘A proportion of very high frequency (VHF) wireless spectrum will be reserved for future use by Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices, the UK telecoms regulator has announced.’
OUT-LAW.com, 29th March 2016
Source: www.out-law.com
Mirror Group refused permission to appeal landmark phone hacking damages awards – OUT-LAW.com
‘Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) has failed in its bid to overturn a landmark ruling in which it was ordered to pay approximately £1.2 million in damages for infringing the privacy of eight individuals through phone hacking.’
OUT-LAW.com, 23rd March 2016
Source: www.out-law.com
Nuisance calls by ‘ambulance chasers’ soar despite attempts at crackdown – Daily Telegraph
‘One in five people receives an unsolicited, nuisance call every day in a practice fuelled by “ambulance-chasing lawyers,” a report has warned. The compensation culture, which is driven by claims management companies, has soared, despite government attempts to crack down on the practice.’
Daily Telegraph, 21st March 2016
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Investigatory Powers Bill: May defends surveillance powers – BBC News
‘Home Secretary Theresa May has defended controversial new surveillance powers as MPs debated them for the first time.’
BBC News, 15th March 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The snooper’s charter is flying through parliament. Don’t think it’s irrelevant to you – The Guardian
‘While the Apple v FBI row makes world headlines, people in the UK are disregarding a bill that permits hacking and gagging.’
The Guardian, 14th March 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Information watchdog slaps MP with £5k penalty over nuisance calling Local Government Lawyer
‘A London MP, David Lammy, has been hit with a £5,000 monetary penalty by the Information Commissioner’s Office after he instigated the making of 35,629 calls over two days.’
Local Government Lawyer, 10th March 2016
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
UK spying laws: Government introduces law requiring WhatsApp and iMessage to break their own security – The Independent
‘The draft Investigatory Powers Bill, or Snoopers’ Charter, keeps a provision that weakening of security will only happen in cases where it is ‘practicable’, but that could still allow the Government to outlaw many of the most popular chat services as they currently exist.’
The Independent, 1st March 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Home Office to publish revised draft of snooper’s charter – The Guardian
‘The home secretary, Theresa May, has revised some elements of her controversial “snooper’s charter” legislation in an attempt to address criticism by MPs and peers of the surveillance powers it confers.’
The Guardian, 1st March 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Regulator issues record £350,000 fine over PPI mis-selling calls – The Guardian
‘A company that illegally sold on personal information and plagued members of the public with more than 46m automated nuisance calls relating to Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) mis-selling claims has received a record £350,000 fine.’
The Guardian, 29th February 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Court of Appeal must maintain brand owners’ right to obtain website blocking orders, says expert – OUT-LAW.com
‘The Court of Appeal in London must maintain the right of brand owners to obtain website blocking orders against internet service providers (ISPs) as a means of enforcing their trade mark rights against infringers, an expert has said.’
OUT-LAW.com, 24th February 2016
Source: www.out-law.com
The Leveson inquiry isn’t over, Cameron must keep his promise – The Guardian
‘It was clear from the start that the Leveson inquiry was to be conducted in two parts. The first section, examining the culture, practices and ethics of the media, reported back in 2012.’
The Guardian, 15th February 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
