A class action brought in the UK by campaign group “Google You Owe Us” was blocked in the High Court yesterday (Monday 8th October 2018). They allege that in 2011/12 Google bypassed privacy settings on Apple iPhone handsets and collected data about millions of people in contravention of the Data Protection Act 1998. The High Court was told that the information collected by Google included data about race, sexuality, political leanings and social class.
Yesterday (10 July 2018) the UK Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, published a progress report in relation to her office’s investigation into the use of data analytics in political campaigns. This investigation has focussed on Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said it intends to fine Facebook £500,000 for two breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998. This is the maximum fine that can be imposed under that legislation. However, the position could have been much worse for Facebook.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the regulator responsible for policing the current legislation, has had difficulty enforcing the current legislation. Since 2010, of the £17.8 million in fines that it has imposed, for the making of nuisance calls and the sending of nuisance emails and texts, only just over half have been paid. The ICO’s efforts have been hampered by some of the companies it has fined going into liquidation rather than paying their fine.
You should not forget the other obligations that companies have under the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006), such as, the obligation to keep a register of persons with significant control (PSCs).
A story very much in the headlines at the moment is the hacking of Uber’s computer system.
A private company limited by shares is a legal entity that has no physical presence. It can only act through its directors and at least one of them must be a natural person. So what happens when the sole director of a company dies? How will the company continue to trade if there is no officer to act on its behalf?
A consumer is a person who purchases goods, services or digital content for their personal use and not as part of their business, profession, trade or craft. Law considers consumers to be in a weaker bargaining position in relation to traders and therefore offers them broader protections in an effort to bring balance to the trader-consumer relationship.
One of the lead stories on BBC 1 Breakfast this morning was about the overhaul of UK data protection laws.
British citizens will soon have more rights to control what is done with personal information about them. The UK data protection watchdog is also to get new powers and will be able to levy higher fines.
Contracts are the lifeblood of any business. You cannot sell a good or a service without one. Every business has to contract if it is to survive and succeed.
Despite this reality, often not nearly enough attention is paid to making sure that appropriate terms and conditions govern the contracts that are entered into.
© Copyright 2016 Linder Myers
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