Data and privacy
Reporting the family courts - new guide published
A valuable guide has just been published which sets out the law governing access to, and reporting of, the family courts.
Read moreA "tenuous claim to privacy": Hutcheson v News Group
Can you expect to keep a second family private? That was the ambitious hope of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson.
Read moreReporting the Courts: a view on postponement orders
The principle of open justice has been ardently promoted in our society for many years, as was confirmed by Lord Hewart in R v Sussex Justices, ex parte McCarthy who said that “it is not merely of some importance but it is of fundamental importance that justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done”.
Read moreDetails of the new inquiry into press regulation and phone-hacking
It had been thought that the Prime Minister had pledged to set up two separate inquiries: one into phone-hacking and one into press regulation more generally.
Read morePublic inquiries into privacy and press regulation
BBC Radio 4's PM programme's 'Privacy Commission' has finished hearing evidence and will presumably be publishing its report shortly.
Read morePhone hacking scandal reaches a new plane
If, as seems likely, it proves true that the News of the World did indeed hack into the voicemail messages of the abducted teenager Milly Dowler, the phone hacking saga moves onto an entirely new plane.
Read moreDisclosure of documents in privacy litigation
What documents is a claimant entitled to demand from a media defendant in a privacy case?
Read moreJustice Secretary expresses concern over MPs defying injunctions
The Times has today reported that the Justice Secretary Ken Clarke yesterday told the Joint Committee on the Defamation Bill that he was concerned about the growing habit of using parliamentary privilege to defy court gagging orders.
Read moreA former judge reflects on privacy injunctions
Mr Justice Eady's interview last month by Joshua Rosenberg -
Read moreA digest of recent news (1) - UK judgments
For one reason and another, the blog has been unable to report on much of the recent news. This entry is an attempt to remedy the situation. Normal service should be resumed shortly.
Read moreAre privacy injunctions too restrictive?
Has privacy law gone too far? It’s not just the editor of the Daily Mail who thinks so.
Read moreThe effect of privacy injunctions on third parties
In general, an injunction made against a defendant does not affect a third party.
Read moreWorkplace affairs are private - especially if one half of the couple has children
The Court of Appeal's judgment in ETK v News Group [2011] EWCA Civ 439 has prompted gasps of horror from some sections of the media.
Read morePhone-hacking is not a hanging offence
In February Donald Trelford, the respected former editor of the Observer, wrote in the Independent that the phone-hacking saga was a case of "dog eats dog gone barking-mad".
Read moreThe "half-lives" of celebrities: a theory of phone-hacking
In today's Independent Dominic Lawson offers an interesting view on how phone-hacking was allowed to take hold at the News of the World.
Read moreSuper Injunctions: committee reporting soon
By the end of this month we expect the committee investigating super injunctions to publish its report.
Read moreThe EU Council’s Conclusions On Revising EU Data Protection Law — Why Did They Bother?
The super tanker that is the European Union legislative process is currently trying to turn itself round with a view to revising data protection law.
Read moreAnother ruling on privacy injunctions
Judgment was handed down today in a case where a privacy injunction was made in 2008.
Read morePrivacy in Tweets - the debate continues
Addressing the Westminster Media Forum on the regulation of privacy and online media earlier today Baroness Buscombe, Chairman of the PCC, referred to the PCC's decision in Baskerville
Read morePrivacy and the Protection of Freedoms Bill
The Protection of Freedoms Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 11 February 2011, is the second part of the UK Coalition Government's mission to 'restore freedoms and civil liberties through the abolition of unnecessary laws'.
Read moreThe legal protection of online identities
Millions of people post comments on the web in response to articles, blogs and stories. Many do so anonymously.
Read moreHarassment by letter-writing
Are letters capable of amounting to a course of conduct amounting to harassment?
Read moreCan employers spy on their employees?
The US media have reported a number of instances in which companies have hired private detectives to spy on workers taking "sickies".
Read moreAnonymity order lifted in marital privacy case
A High Court judge has lifted an anonymity order protecting the identity of a formerly married couple involved in a privacy dispute.
Read moreThe Article 8 rights of sex offenders
A recent decision of the Supreme Court has unleashed a populist wave directed at the European Court of Human Rights and European judges generally.
Read moreForced sterilisation case heard in public
On 15 February 2011 Hedley J ordered that a case proceeding in the Court of Protection which featured medical information of the highest sensitivity should be held in open court.
Read moreMax Mosley and the public interest in exposing hypocrisy
In an interesting interview with the Financial Times, the UK's most indomitable privacy claimant, Max Mosley, challenges the notion that there might be a public interest in exposing hypocrisy.
Read moreNo privacy in Tweets
Publicly accessible postings on Twitter and other social media are not private, according to rulings by the Press Complaints Commission.
Read moreICO fines councils for losing laptops
On 8 February 2011 the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) issued two monetary penalty notices for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act.
Read moreSupreme Court welcomes Twitter
The use of Twitter is now officially sanctioned in the Supreme Court.
Read moreShock decision: sportsman not unmasked
The identity of the sportsman officially known as JIH remains confidential.
Read moreAnonymity proposed for teachers accused by pupils
The controversial Education Bill was published on 26 January 2011.
Read moreBlanket reporting restriction set aside by Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeal has discharged an order the effect of which would have been to postpone the reporting of an important criminal case for several months.
Read morePhone-hacking claims - a new legal pursuit
The pack of lawyers representing the alleged victims of phone hacking by the News of the World seems to grow on an almost weekly basis.
Read moreA mass outbreak of anonymity: CDE and FGH v MGN and LMN
It is not unusual for claimants in privacy cases to be anonymised. It is less common for defendants and distinctly unusual for non-parties.
Read moreECtHR upholds Campbell v MGN
Just under seven years after the House of Lords found by 3 to 2 against the Daily Mirror in the landmark privacy case by Naomi Campbell, the European Court of Human Rights has rejected MGN's attempt to persuade it that UK law was incompatible with Article 10.
Read moreNo exclusion of bereaved families from 7/7 inquest
The Divisional Court has refused the Government's application for judicial review of the 7/7 Coroner's decision not to exclude victims' families from the court during its private sessions.
Read more7/7 footage withheld from public to protect privacy of victims and their families
The Coroner conducting the inquest into the terror attacks in London on 7 July 2005 has ordered that certain footage shown in court of the aftermath of the 7/7 attacks should not be released to the media.
Read moreSuper-injunctions - an update
Super-injunctions are injunctions that prevent publication of the fact that the court has made an injunction.
Read moreShould the parties in privacy cases be anonymised? - a summary of the recent judgments
Since the end of the summer at least eight judgments have considered whether the parties to successful applications for privacy injunctions should be anonymised.
Read moreAnonymity of egg and sperm donors
A survey by Manchester Fertility Services highlights issues of privacy concerning egg and sperm donation.
Read moreNo injunction for local authority that failed to give notice to media
A judge has refused to make an order gagging media organisations who were not given proper notice of the application for the order.
Read moreMedia access to Court of Protection
The Independent newspaper has won the right to attend and report on a case in the Court of Protection.
Read moreUK referred to ECJ over internet privacy
On 30 September 2010 the European Commission announced that it referred the UK to the European Court of Justice for its alleged failure to implement EU laws on the confidentiality of electronic communications such as emails or internet browsing.
Read moreUse (and abuse?) of anti-terrorism powers by police
A Home Office report on the operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation has revealed that in 2009/10 a total of 101,248 stop-and-searches were made pursuant to s40 of the Terrorism Act 2000, but not one of the stop-and-searches resulted in an arrest being made on a terrorism charge.
Read moreComputer hacker fined £21,000
A computer hacker who admitted offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 has been fined £21,000 and given a 36-week prison sentence suspended for two years.
Read moreNew report on the 'Surveillance Society'
The Information Commissioner has expressed concern over the lack of scrutiny of new laws affecting privacy.
Read moreUndercover reporting - 'Cablegate'
On 20 December 2010 the Daily Telegraph published a report based on secretly recorded conversations with the Business Secretary Vince Cable.
Read moreGoogle escapes fine over Street View breach
Google's Street View service has escaped a financial penalty despite being found to breach the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA).
Read morePublic access to documents in criminal cases
The Administrative Court has upheld the decision of a district judge to refuse the press access to documents placed before a magistrates court in connection with extradition proceedings
Read moreStay connected and subscribe to our latest insights and views
Subscribe Here