On Hand May 2024
The sun finally made an appearance and, although we had the privilege of 2 long bank holiday weekends, the pace of developments in May just meant that it felt like there was more work to be squeezed into a shorter amount of time.
Important updates in May 2024 to be aware of included:
The Ministry of Defence suffered a supply chain cyber attack on its personnel payment system;
Draft guidance on generative AI published by ICO suggests AI model developers need to regenerate their privacy policies to comply with UK GDPR;
General Election 2024 scuppers the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, and other legislation;
EDPB publishes report of ChatGPT Taskforce;
Australia announces intention to overhaul Privacy Act;
US Committee considers proposed American Privacy Rights Act;
EU AI Act becomes law;
Meta Oversight Board considers multiple cases concerning potential hate speech, including the words ‘From the River to the Sea’ and allegations of criminal nationality;
Ofcom publishes draft Children’s Safety Code and consults on protecting children from harms online under the Online Safety Act 2023;
Ofcom opens investigation into OnlyFans age verification measures;
Media Act receives Royal Assent;
BBC settles slander complaint from Princess Diana’s former chauffeur;
Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner finds Worldcoin contravened Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance;
European Commission opens DSA proceedings against Meta over protection of minors on Facebook & Instagram & addiction;
Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers Act receives Royal Assent on 24 May 2024;
Spanish data protection regulator implements temporary ban on Meta’s election functionality in Spain;
EU adopts Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence;
High Court partially upholds judicial reviews concerning Secretary of State’s decision to adopt the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan;
Dutch and Italian data protection regulators publish guidance on web scraping;
SRA issues warning to firms making SARs in high-volume financial service claims;
Twitter/X updates terms and conditions to make clear that labelled adult content which is not prominently displayed is permitted; and,
Joint Committee on Human Rights calls on government to impose duty of candour backed by criminal sanctions on public bodies.
Each month, Handley Gill creates ‘On Hand’, our monthly digital newsletter, which is updated with the latest developments throughout the month. While the newsletter is intended to be in a readily digestible digital format, those who prefer the traditional newsletter format can export the newsletter to pdf. The May 2024 edition of On Hand can be accessed here:
The June 2024 edition of On Hand is now in progress, so continue to check back throughout and at the end of the month to keep up to date on the latest developments in data protection, cyber security, content regulation, AI, reputation management, open justice, access to information, digital markets regulation and human rights & ESG.
While the general election called for 04 July 2024, and consequent prorogation of Parliament on 24 May and dissolution today (30 May), will mean that UK government policy making, announcements and the progress of legislation will all be curtailed, the publication of party manifesto pledges as well as ongoing court cases and developments around the world should mean that there is still plenty to keep abreast of.
You can access this and previous editions of On Hand via the ‘Knowledge and Insights’ tab.
Should you require support understanding how these developments will affect you or your organisation, please contact us.