Category data protection

May 29, 2020,  Council of Ministers, data protection, EU General Data Protection Regulation, European Commission, European Data Protection Supervisor, News, Thought Leadership  No comments

Having left the European Union (EU) on 31 January 2020, the UK is currently in a Brexit transition period that runs out on 31 December 2020. Whilst the other 27 Member States of the EU have been grappling with containing the Covid-19 pandemic, you could be forgiven for thinking these countries as well as the UK have taken their eyes off the ball when it comes to striking a Brexit deal.

If you think that to be the case, think again.

If the UK wants an extension, it will need to ask for this by 30 June 2020 and the European Commission has already indicated that in the circumstances this would be granted...

December 6, 2017,  Brand marketing, data protection, EU General Data Protection Regulation, News, Thought Leadership  No comments

October 10, 2017,  data protection, EU General Data Protection Regulation, Henley Business School, News, Social marketing practice, Thought Leadership  No comments

Major personal data breaches are happening at a rate of one a day – Equifax, BUPA, Deloitte, NHS, Nottingham County Council, Islington Council, HCA Healthcare and many, many more. Wanna Cry? (I bet you do).

Do you live in fear of whether you’re next? It doesn’t have to be this way. We are transitioning to an era in which individuals have both the skills and the opportunities to choose how they manage and share their personal data to achieve a range of beneficial outcomes.

Digital evangelists like Stephen Deadman, Global Deputy Chief Privacy Officer at Facebook remains optimistic about the future, rather than terrified by it...

August 8, 2017,  data protection, Data Protection Act 1998, EU General Data Protection Regulation, Legal update, News  No comments

The British Government  has just announced (Monday 7 August 2017) that it will incorporate Directive 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) along with specific derogations permitted under the GDPR as well as the Data Protection Law Enforcement Directive (DPLED) into UK law.

The move effectively repeals the current Data Protection Act 1998.

This follows a short consultation period (12 April – 10 May 2017) that called for views and which included 170 submissions from a wide range of professional bodies, legal and consumer groups, local government, technology companies, global organisations and academic institutions (7...

June 22, 2017,  data protection, Data Protection Act 1998, EU General Data Protection Regulation, Legal update, News  No comments

The British Government signalled its intention to replace the Data Protection Act 1998 with a new Data Protection Act that will be in alignment with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Home Office will be the relevant ‘Lead Departments’ overseeing the passage of the Data Protection Bill through Parliament.

“A new law will ensure that the United Kingdom retains its world-class regime protecting personal data”, said Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II in her speech to both the House of Commons and the House of Lords on Wednesday 21 June 2017.

The Bill will fulfil a manifesto commitment to ensure the UK has...

April 30, 2017,  data protection, EU General Data Protection Regulation, News, Public Relations practice  No comments

The BBC has run a wonderful news story about the development of what’s claimed to be the world’s most secure email service.

Created by US security tech entrepreneur Will Donaldson, Nomx makes the bold claim it uses the “world’s most secure communications protocol” to protect email messages.

The Nomx personal email server costs from £155 – £310 and claims that users can help to stop messages being copied and hacked as they travel to their destination across the Internet.

Too good to be true?

BBC News asked ex-hacker and now security researcher Scott Helme and computer security expert Prof Alan Woodward of Surrey University to test whether the product could provide 100% pro...

September 14, 2016,  data protection, DPO Programme, EU General Data Protection Regulation, European Commission, European Parliament, Events, Henley Business School, News, Thought Leadership  No comments

Debate: “The European Union’s new data protection rules will impose unnecessary burdens on businesses – Yes or No?”

Business leaders are worried that the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), scheduled to come into effect in early 2018, will seriously harm their commercial interests. It will force them to improve the privacy rights of EU citizens and report data breaches within three days, rules that will be difficult and costly to comply with. Penalties for non-compliance could be as high as 4% of global turnover. However, British businesses could be spared the hassle if Brexit means the UK does not implement the Regulation.

In what promises ...

January 8, 2016,  data protection, EU General Data Protection Regulation, Legal update, News  No comments

One of the biggest changes in data protection and privacy to usher in the New Year with a bang is publication of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) later this month. And it’s really important that all companies take the necessary steps to protect themselves from becoming liable for personal data breaches under this EU Regulation.

As reported extensively in this blog over the last 12 months, the GDPR will force all organisations to re-wire their thinking as well as their data protection policies and procedures for handling personal data under a fundamental change in European law.

Experience to date shows that effective training is the first line of defence and ...

November 30, 2015,  data protection, EU General Data Protection Regulation, News  No comments

At this time of year parents all over the world are busy working out what the latest electronic gadget they need to buy for their children before the Christmas rush makes these highly-prized toys out of stock. One of the biggest manufacturers is Chinese consumer giant VTECH that owns the Learning Lodge app store.

But this story doesn’t have a happy ending.

The customers’ secrets stored on the company’s data base have been hacked and according to security experts this amounts to 4.8m unique customer email addresses as well as names and download history.

According to reports, the company database was compromised on 14 November but it took a good 10 days before HKT (the ow...

October 25, 2015,  data protection, News  No comments

TalkTalk has been caught in the eye of a storm over its data protection and privacy policies and procedures leaving a wake of very angry customers threatening to take legal action for the breach of their personal data.

And as the Information Commissioner’s Officer (ICO) starts to investigate the mobile provider, it may like to read the advertisement TalkTalk placed on LinkedIn on the 19 October for the post of Information Security Officer.

When we checked on Sunday 25 October, there had been 15 applicants for the post – now with the level of national media interest in how TalkTalk is culpable in its failure to adequately protect its customers, maybe there will be deluge of ...