In its judgement of 11 December 2014 (Case C-212/13 František Ryneš v Úřad pro ochranu osobních údajů) the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) had to answer “a very precise” question [to use the words of Advocate General JÄÄSKINEN]: “Can the operation of a camera system installed on a family home for the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Internet intermediaries
Are the Europeans that different from the Americans? Can online service providers rely upon their privacy policies to systematically gather the metadata and content data of online communications in order to detect all sorts of illegal activities and let law enforcement bodies know?
That online service providers (OSPs), including Internet Service providers (ISPs), can do almost all what they want with our data, as long as they have a “decent” privacy policy, has just been confirmed in the US by the very recent decision of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. I have already … Continue reading
Home Office consults on proposals to update communications data codes of practice in the UK
Legal framework for mandatory communications data regime continues to evolve The UK Home Office has launched a consultation on plans to update the acquisition and disclosure of communications data code of practice and introduce a new retention of communications data code of practice. Both documents are provided in draft form. The former code sets out … Continue reading
The potential impact of the Counter Terrorism and Security Bill on the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014
Small drips but when might the floodgates open? – UK public telecoms to retain more types of communications data in the future Further to Sophie’s post last week on the potential impact of the Counter Terrorism and Security Bill (‘CTSB’) proposed last month by the UK government, one of our research colleagues at the University … Continue reading
Google settles ‘right to be forgotten’ case with UK business man and comes under pressure from Europe to implement global de-listing
Google probably wishes it could be forgotten as the remit of its legal obligations continues to make headlines The press has been full of news this year about the deluge of requests sent to Google following the Court of the Justice of the European Union (CJEU)’s ruling in May, which confirmed the right of individuals … Continue reading
Could the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill really change things for online service providers?
The Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill (CTSB) was introduced in the House of Commons on 26 November 2014 as a way to “address the capabilities gap the authorities face when it comes to communications data” says Theresa May. In particular, the aim is to “require internet providers to retain Internet Protocol – or IP – address … Continue reading
Metadata, content data almost the same thing? Yes, implies a N.Y. District Court! But is it for good or bad?
Shira A. Scheindlin, a District Judge from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a very interesting opinion on 28 October 2014 for those eager to know if the distinction between metadata and content data does make sense [members of the Peep Beep! team have already took their pens … Continue reading
On malicious webpages, hosting providers… and the myth of technological neutrality!
In an article covering the issue of malicious webpages and what techies call ‘drive-by-downloads’, Huw Fryer, Tim Chown and myself suggest that one solution might lie in the imposition upon hosting providers of precautionary duties involving the systematic scanning of the websites they host on their platforms. [The article will be published soon but is … Continue reading
Google sent compliance measures over on-going European privacy policy concerns
The European Article 29 Working Party – composed of representatives of EU Member State data protection authorities, the European Data Protection Supervisor and the European Commission – has sent Google a letter setting out a list of compliance measures in respect of the latter’s privacy policy to enable it to meet its obligations under the … Continue reading
What the hell are these metadata? ….Are communications data, traffic data and metadata all the same thing?
And here is the first Peep Beep! post: The Snowden revelations have transformed the word “metadata” into a buzzword. The question that many are asking these days is who can collect and retain metadata. Can law enforcement agencies and intelligence services collect and retain metadata at their will? Can Internet access providers do what they … Continue reading