Pledge or hedge?

Following the announcement of the snap General Election to take place on 04 July 2024, and the launch of the major parties’ manifesto pledges during London Tech Week 2024, Handley Gill analyses the manifesto pledges of the major UK-wide political parties and their implications for cyber security, data protection, online safety, artificial intelligence (AI), digital markets, content regulation, reputation management, open justice, access to information, human rights and ESG.

Nicola Cain13 June 2024General Election 2024, GE2024, Data Protection, UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, PECR, Artificial Intelligence, AI, Human Rights, Human Rights Act 1998, ESG, Environment, Environmental, Environmental Social & Governance, Environmental Social & Corporate Governance, Cyber Security, Digital Markets, Digital Services, Social Media, Technology, Technology Regulation, TECH REGULATION, Online Safety, Online Safety Act 2023, Online Harms, Reputation Management, Defamation, Libel, Slander, Misuse of Private Information, SLAPPs, Advertising, Gambling, Access to Information, Freedom of Information Act 2000, Open Justice, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, CONTENT REGULATION, PLATFORM REGULATION, Data Protection ReformComment

Washed-up or fallen down the plughole?

Following the announcement on 22 May 2024 of the snap General Election to take place on 04 July 2024, Parliament has been prorogued with effect from 24 May 2024 (meaning Parliamentary business is suspended thereafter) and will be dissolved with effect from 30 May 2024. The brief period between the announcement of the election and prorogation is known as wash up, when political parties must negotiate to pass outstanding Bills, or parts of them, or Bills fall. Prorogation also bring an end to the work of the various Parliamentary Committees. Handley Gill’s consultants consider which Bills have been washed up and which have fallen in the context of cyber security, data protection, online safety, artificial intelligence (AI), digital markets, content regulation, reputation management, open justice, access to information, human rights and ESG, as well as the work of Parliamentary Committees which were either rushed out or dropped.

Nicola Cain5 June 2024General Election 2024, GE2024, Data Protection, Personal Data, Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, Media Bill, Media Act 2024, Digital Markets Competition & Consumers Bill, Digital Markets Competition & Consumers Act 2024, Human Rights, Duty of Candour, Joint Committee on Human Rights, Education Committee, Commons Education Committee, Screentime impact on education & wellbeing, Science Innovation & Technology Committee, House of Commons Science Innovation & Technology Committee, Artificial Intelligence, AI, AI Governance, Governance of Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence (Regulation) Bill, SLAPPs, Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation Bill, Criminal Justice Bill, European Affairs Committee, UK-EU Data Adequacy, Adequacy Decision, Cyber Security, Information Security, Cyber Resilience, Cyber resilience of the UK's critical national infrastructure (CNI), Commons Women & Equalities Committee, Non-consensual intimate image abuse, Revenge porn, Online Safety, Online Harms, DPDI Bill, OFCOM, Competition and Markets Authority, CMA, Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation, Data Protection Reform, UK GDPR, Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, Article 17 UK GDPR, Article 17 GDPR, Right to Erasure, Right to be ForgottenComment

Commended

Team at Handley Gill Limited receive an award commending the legal services provide to its client, the City of London Corporation acting in its capacity as police authority for the City of London Police in connection with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC’s) National Cybercrime Programme, which the City hosts.

Regulation regeneration?

Handley Gill’s consultants respond to the Department for Business and Trade’s consultation on ‘Smarter Regulation and the Regulatory Landscape’, drawing on their experience of advising and representing individuals and regulated entities on data protection, online safety, content regulation, AI, human rights and ESG issues before regulators including the Information Commissioner’s Office, Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

Online Safety. This looks like a job for...

Handley Gill’s specialist online safety consultants respond to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology’s consultation on ‘Super-complaints: eligible entity criteria and procedural requirements’ under the Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom will be responsible for considering super-complaints.

Feeling safer already?

The grant of Royal Assent to the Online Safety Act 2023 on 26 October 2023 starts the countdown to Ofcom’s Roadmap to Regulation for user-to-user services, search services, video sharing platforms and services with pornographic content. Handley Gill’s consultants have produced a visual timeline of Ofcom’s proposals for the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023.

Nicola Cain26 October 2023Online Safety, Online Harms, eSafety, ONLINE SAFETY BILL, Online Safety Act 2023, OFCOM, Online Safety Regulator, Online Harms Regulator, Roadmap to Regulation, User to User services, User-to-User Services, Search Services, Video Sharing Platforms, Pornographic Content ServicesComment

On Hand May 2023

May 2023 edition of Handley Gill’s monthly digital newsletter, with all the latest developments in data protection (UK, EU and global), cyber security, AI and machine learning, content regulation, open justice, access to information, reputation management and digital markets regulation. Presented in a readily digestible digital format, those who prefer the traditional newsletter format can export the newsletter to pdf.

Nicola Cain1 June 2023Data Protection, Personal Data, GDPR, General Data Protection Regulation, UK GDPR, UK GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION, DATA PROTECTION ACT 2018, DPA 2018, Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, PECR, Information Commissioner, Data Protection Commission, CONTENT REGULATION, AI, Artificial Intelligence, AI Regulation, Machine Learning, Cyber Security, Cyber Resilience, Digital Markets Regulation, Reputation Management, Defamation, Privacy, Data Privacy, Libel, Slander, Malicious Falsehood, Misuse of Private Information, Breach of Confidence, Data Breach, Press Regulation, Broadcasting, Broadcasting Regulation, Ofcom, Digital Markets Competition & Consumers Bill, European Data Protection Board, EDPB, On Hand, Facial Recognition, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Ransomware, Data Protection & Digital Information (No.2) Bill, EU law, Retained EU Law, BREXIT, Brexit Freedoms Bill, Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, Cyber Attack, ESG, Environmental Social & Governance, Environmental, Environmental Social & Corporate Governance, Human Rights, China, Data Transfer, International data transfers, Restricted International Data Transfers, Broadcasting Code, Ofcom Broadcasting Code, Online Safety, Online Harms, eSafety, Open Justice, Reporting Restriction, CHILDREN, Children's Data, Misinformation, Disinformatoin, Disinformation, Illegal Harms, Child Sexual Abuse Regulation, Child Sexual Abuse Material, CSAMComment

Safer Internet Day 2023

This Safer Internet Day, why not assess and commit to publishing details of your online service’s compliance with the Information Commissioner’s (ICO’s) Age Appropriate Design Code, aka the Children’s Code, demonstrating your commitment to protecting the data protection and privacy rights of children online, improving transparency and contributing to the enhancement of your ESG agenda.

SIT down...

The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has announced that a new government department is to be created, the Department for Science, Technology & Innovation, which is likely to take on responsibility from DCMS for online safety and data protection.

HM Coroner vs the Online Safety Bill

As the deadline approaches for the government and social media platforms to respond to HM Coroner’s recommendations in the Prevention of Future Deaths report following the Molly Russell inquest verdict, Handley Gill considers how the recommendations stack up against the provisions of the Online Safety Bill.

Nicola Cain29 November 2022Online Safety, Online Harms, ONLINE SAFETY BILL, Bill 285 2021-22, Bill 004 2022-23, Bill 121 2022-23, eSafety, Content Moderation, Intermediary Liability, Social Media, Molly Russell, Molly Russell Inquest, Regulation 28 Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013, Regulation 29 Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013, Schedule 5 paragraph 7 Coroners and Justice Act 2009, HM Coroner, Chief Coroner, Ofcom, Roadmap to Regulation, Online Safety Regulator, Online Harms Regulator, UK GDPR, UK General Data Protection Regulation, Data Protection Act 2018, DPA 2018, Age Verification, Children’s Risk Assessment, Safety duties protecting children, Harmful content, Primary priority content that is harmful to children, Self-Harm, Digital Regulation Co-operation Forum, DRCF, CMA, Competition & Markets Authority, Information Commissioner, ICO, FCA, Financial Conduct Authority, Advertising, Algorithm, Algorithmic Accountability, Algorithmic TransparencyComment

DCMS SoS?

Handley Gill considers the impact of the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for the Online Safety Bill and the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.

Is the Online Safety Bill safe?

Conclusion of the Report stage of the Online Safety Bill in the House of Commons, which was scheduled for 20 July, has now been postponed until after the summer recess. Responding to the news, Conservative Party leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch described the Bill as being “in no fit state to become law”, raising the prospect that the Online Safety Bill may become safer, but for whom?