Blog

Over the course of the debate on how to tackle online harms, we’ve drawn attention to the risks to digital and human rights which can arise when technical solutionism meets poorly drafted legislation.

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15 Sep 2021 By Heather Burns

How the Online Safety Bill lets politicians define free speech

The Joint Pre-Legislative Scrutiny committee has opened its work into the draft Online Safety Bill.

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14 Sep 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Vandalising data rights

Anything you say and do can and will be used against you.

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10 Sep 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Why on earth is the Government mucking about with our privacy laws?

Thursday evening, the UK Government published their long-awaited proposal for a new UK data protection regime.

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09 Sep 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Cookie banners, explained

Cookie banners are hitting the headlines, as policymakers and activists across political divides seek to take action on them once and for all.

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08 Sep 2021 By Sahdya Darr

Afghans targeted by fake Home Office website

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is currently deciding whether it will take further action against a fake website created by the Home Office.

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27 Aug 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Government prepares to take back control – of your privacy

The UK Government has unveiled their plans to deregulate data protection laws.

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18 Aug 2021 By Sahdya Darr

Digital deception & disinformation used to deter migrants

The Information Commissioner’s Office has opened an investigation into a fake website created by the Home Office.

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30 Jul 2021 By Sahdya Darr

Immigration, Data & Technology Newsletter

Welcome to the July edition of Immigration, Data and Technology!

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27 Jul 2021 By Heather Burns

Age verification in the Online Safety Bill

The draft Online Safety Bill’s provisions on mandatory age verification don’t just threaten your rights to privacy and freedom of expression – they also threaten the integrity of the Internet’s architecture.

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20 Jul 2021 By Heather Burns

Encryption in the Online Safety Bill

Let’s look at how the Online Safety Bill brings the contents of your private communications into scope for scanning, monitoring, and censorship.

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12 Jul 2021 By Heather Burns & Jim Killock

Racists must be prosecuted, not moderated

The wave of racist comments on social media that has followed the England football defeat is reprehensible: but so is the fiction that this problem must be ‘solved’ by social media companies.

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06 Jul 2021 By Heather Burns

Access denied: Service blocking in the Online Safety Bill

As the Online Safety Bill approaches the pre-legislative scrutiny process, attention is being drawn to the powers which government will have to redefine, constrain, and censor the boundaries of our free and legal speech.

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01 Jul 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Fear and loathing in the UK adequacy decision

On June 28, the European Commission adopted the UK adequacy decision, which will allow personal data to be transferred from the EU to the UK without additional safeguards.

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30 Jun 2021 By Sahdya Darr

Newsletter: Immigration, Data and Technology

Welcome to the June edition of Immigration, Data and Technology!

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23 Jun 2021 By Heather Burns

Duty to Censor: What’s legal to say should be legal to type

Open Rights Group has joined Index on Censorship’s “Legal to say, legal to type” campaign to scrutinise and push back against the threats to freedom of expression created by government’s Online Safety Bill.

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17 Jun 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Stand Up for Privacy

Yesterday, on June 16, the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform published a report outlining their vision to “refresh the UK’s approach to regulation now that we have left the EU”.

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14 Jun 2021 By Heather Burns

MPs: Encryption keeps your constituents safe

Today (14 June) Open Rights Group has joined over thirty digital and human rights organisations in calling on MPs to keep their constituents safe by protecting end-to-end encryption from legislative threats.

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09 Jun 2021 By Heather Burns & Sahdya Darr

Is government preparing to censor discussions about migration?

Over the weekend, you may have seen news reports discussing how Home Secretary Priti Patel has ordered social media companies to remove posts which “glamourise” dangerous migrant crossings from Europe.

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01 Jun 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Adtech: let’s get rid of cookie banners

A nuisance is troubling the Internet and the digital life of Europeans: the consent or ‘cookie’ banner.

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28 May 2021 By Sahdya Darr

Newsletter: Immigration, Data and Technology

Welcome to the May edition of Immigration, Data and Technology!

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05 May 2021 By Heather Burns

Online abuse: Why management liability isn’t the answer

As part of recent high-profile campaigns against social media abuse, calls have been repeated to impose criminal sanctions and penalties onto the directors and managers of companies where that abuse takes place.

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30 Apr 2021 By Sahdya Darr

NEWSLETTER: IMMIGRATION, DATA AND TECHNOLOGY

Welcome!

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29 Apr 2021 By Open Rights Group

Don’t let the Government create a digital Police state

You might be aware of plans to give Police more powers through the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill 2021.

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29 Apr 2021 By Jim Killock

The Government assault on your privacy rights

It has been a busy few months for developments on privacy, even placing the COVID response aside.

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27 Apr 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Adtech vs. iOS, explained

With their last update for the iOS operating system, Apple rolled out a feature called App Transparency Tracking framework.

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23 Apr 2021 By Sahdya Darr

NFI proposals seek to give police more powers

Many people are aware that the UK Government is trying to give police more powers through the Police,Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021.

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22 Apr 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

#StopStalkerAds: adtech is watching you!

Following our open letter to the European Parliament, Open Rights Group are launching a new campaign that wants to #StopStalkerAds.

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21 Apr 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

UK Adequacy: it’s only the beginning

The European Data Protection Board issued their opinion about the draft UK adequacy decision.

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14 Apr 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Adtech: an Open Letter to the European Parliament

Today, Open Rights Group, Panoptykon and Liberties EU sent an Open Letter to the European Parliament, asking them to stand up for the ePrivacy Regulation and our online privacy.

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06 Apr 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Adtech: An industry broken by design and by default

European Digital Rights (EDRi) recently published “targeted online: an industry broken by design and by default”.

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01 Apr 2021 By Heather Burns

Endgame for end-to-end encryption

Today, Wired has reported that the Home Office is actively exploring legal and technical mechanisms to compel Facebook and WhatsApp to break end-to-end encrypted messaging.

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31 Mar 2021 By Sahdya Darr

Immigration, Data and Technology newsletter

Welcome to the third edition of Immigration, Data and Technology!

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29 Mar 2021 By Mariano delli Santi & Heather Burns

First look at vaccine passports

Countries around the world are considering introducing vaccine passports, and the UK is among them.

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26 Mar 2021 By Sahdya Darr

Privacy & migrant groups win extension on data matching powers

This week Open Rights Group along with other privacy advocates and organisations working for migrants’ rights were pleased to be informed that the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) agreed to our request to further extend the deadline to respond to the NFI Data Matching Powers and new Code of Data Matching Practice consultation until 5 May.

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24 Mar 2021 By Jim Killock & Heather Burns

Nominet’s chance to build a better Internet

This week, during Nominet’s EGM, Open Rights Group cast its organisational membership vote to change the current Board membership.

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18 Mar 2021 By Matthew Rice & Mariano delli Santi

Europe cannot rubber stamp the UK’s data laws

The United Kingdom is currently awaiting a decision from Europe on whether it provides adequate standards of data protection.

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17 Mar 2021 By Matthew Rice & Heather Burns

Trust is a two-way street: the UK’s digital identity framework

Open Rights Group has recently responded to the DCMS policy paper on the UK’s digital identity and attributes trust framework.

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16 Mar 2021 By Heather Burns

#SaveAnonymity: Together we can defend anonymity

In recent days, a petition has circulated online which calls for a legal requirement to provide a verified form of ID in order to open a social media account.

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11 Mar 2021 By Heather Burns

Save Online Speech Coalition Launches

Today Open Rights Group has joined our colleagues from Big Brother Watch, the Adam Smith Institute, Article 19, Global Partners Digital, and Index on Censorship in launching a campaign to demand that the Online Safety Bill protects freedom of expression online.

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10 Mar 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Blindspots in new guidance on use of data in campaigning

The Information Commissioner’s Office published their new “Guidance for the use of personal data in political campaigning”.

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02 Mar 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Wanted: corporate lobbyist to take over the ICO

Communicating “the wider benefits of data sharing”, “commercial and business acumen”, experience “of using data to drive innovation and growth”; and, of course, “excellent communication and relationship management skills”.

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26 Feb 2021 By Sahdya Darr

Data & Immigration update – February newsletter

Welcome to the second edition of Immigration, Data and Technology!

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25 Feb 2021 By Matthew Rice

The Government’s own goals on data privacy

The UK Government has decided not to take up an optional power to improve data protection enforcement.

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24 Feb 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

Adtech – an offer you can’t refuse

This spring, Apple will implement a new policy that will require App Store developers to ask for users’ permission in order to track them online.

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27 Jan 2021 By Sahdya Darr

Newsletter: Immigration, Data and Technology

Happy New Year!

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25 Jan 2021 By Mariano delli Santi

ICO enforcement: two years after the GDPR

On Tuesday, the Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham will appear in front of the DCMS Committee for a hearing, where she will be questioned about her office’s role in protecting personal data against targeted online advertising, and the use of personal data for tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

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Data and Democracy

22 Jan 2021 By Matthew Rice

ORG Takes Political Parties to Privacy Watchdog

On 11 December 2020, the eve of the anniversary of the 2019 General Election Open Rights Group submitted complaints, represented by the data rights firm AWO, to the Information Commissioner’s Office on behalf of data subjects on the processing of personal data by the Labour Party, the Conservative and Unionist Party and the Liberal Democrats.

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13 Jan 2021 By Heather Burns

Speech offences: what’s illegal offline should be illegal online

Open Rights Group has worked with David Allen Green of Preiskel & Co.

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11 Jan 2021 By Jim Killock

Trump takedowns need accountability

Late last week, in response to the insurrection at the Capitol, Twitter and Facebook removed Donald Trump’s accounts.

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21 Dec 2020 By Mike Morel

Our movement turns 15

In 2005, a dedicated group of grassroots activists created Open Rights Group (ORG) to protect the digital rights of people in the UK.

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15 Dec 2020 By Heather Burns

Online harms: Freedom of expression remains under threat

Today (15 December) government has published its long-awaited full response to the Online Harms White Paper ahead of the publication of the Online Safety Bill next year.

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11 Dec 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

Our fight against Adtech gets bigger

Two years ago, complaints against real time bidding (RTB) were lodged by Jim Killock of Open Rights Group, Michael Veale of UCL, and Johnny Ryan.

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24 Nov 2020 By Sahdya Darr

How will the National Data Strategy affect migrants and refugees?

In early September the government launched its National Data Strategy (NDS) which it described as ‘an ambitious, pro-growth strategy that aims to drive the UK in building a world-leading data economy while ensuring public trust in data use.

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23 Nov 2020 By Jim Killock

Parliament must hold the ICO to account

The Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee of the House of Commons will hold a hearing with Information Commissioner soon.

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19 Nov 2020 By Jim Killock

Commons Committee spells out Japan deal digital risks

The Commons International Trade Select Committee today has politely and clearly signalled that the shift in data protection provisions put forward in the Japan-UK Trade Deal is meaningful.

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18 Nov 2020 By Jim Killock

The ICO must fix the Adtech industry

When we first took on the ad industry we knew it would not be simple.

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17 Nov 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

Belgian DPA fires a warning shot at adtech, what’s next?

In 2018 we lodged complaints in UK and Ireland against real time bidding (RTB), a technology which powers commercial tracking on the Internet.

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16 Nov 2020 By Jim Killock

The democratic deficit weakening privacy in the UK-Japan deal

Trade agreements matter; and Parliament has been cut out of the substance.

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13 Nov 2020 By Heather Burns

ORG signs joint civil society statement defending encryption

Open Rights Group has signed onto a joint civil society statement expressing concerns over proposals by the UK government which would undermine encryption, including through its Online Harms Bill.

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12 Nov 2020 By Pascal Crowe

10,000,000 voters racially profiled by Conservatives

The summary report of ICO’s audits of UK political parties have finally been published.

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12 Nov 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

Bringing sticks to a gunfight: how the ICO fails to enforce the law

As you may be aware of, we are taking the Information Commissioner’s Office to Court over their failure to enforce the law against digital advertising and real time bidding.

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11 Nov 2020 By Jim Killock

Parliament must act before it’s too late

Our blog on Monday made a simple point.

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09 Nov 2020 By Heather Burns & Jim Killock

Japan Trade Deal punches USA-sized hole in privacy

The UK has just signed its first new free trade agreement, independently from the EU, with Japan.

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06 Nov 2020 By Pascal Crowe

Digital Imprints, GDPR and Enforcement

Yesterday ORG submitted its response to the Cabinet Office’s technical consultation on digital imprints.

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26 Oct 2020 By Heather Burns

Online Harms: Encryption under attack

The UK government wants to make the web “safer” by using the Online Harms Bill to weaken encryption of private messages.

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14 Oct 2020 By Matthew Rice

Speak up and make UK data protection stronger

On October 22 the UK Government consultation on implementing new data protection enforcement powers will close.

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13 Oct 2020 By Pascal Crowe

Bigger than Cambridge Analytica

ORG’s view on the ICO’s personal data and political campaigns investigation.

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07 Oct 2020 By Sahdya Darr

Data & Trust: Will migrants use the NHS app?

A fortnight ago, the NHSX Covid-19 App was launched across England and Wales following the many concerns raised by civil society and privacy advocates including Open Rights Group (ORG) both collectively and individually regarding privacy and security.

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24 Sep 2020 By Jim Killock

NHS App users get privacy; other visitors get nothing

Today the Government launched its England and Wales COVID App, and its new rules to ensure that bars and restaurants keep records of customers who visit.

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14 Sep 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

Pubs vs. Privacy: what changes for contact tracing

The Prime Minister announced on Wednesday 9 September that “premises and venues where people meet socially will be legally required to request the contact details of a member of every party, record and retain these details for 21 days and provide them to the NHS Test and Trace without delay when required”.

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20 Aug 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

How I learned to stop worrying and love the algorithm

United Kingdom, 2020 AD.

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05 Aug 2020 By Jim Killock

Fighting and winning for privacy, where was the ICO

The Government admitted their Test and Trace programme is operating unlawfully, but we should never have had to threaten legal action.

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29 Jul 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

Digital advertising market study: the good, the bad and the ugly

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently released their market study on online platforms and digital advertising.

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22 Jul 2020 By Pascal Crowe

Hot Take: the Russia Report and Elections

Amongst the many revelations in the Russia report, a battle is playing out for the future regulatory landscape of UK elections.

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16 Jul 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

CJEU invalidates Privacy Shield: what about the UK?

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) just delivered their Schrems II judgment, writing a new chapter of the never ending saga about the adequacy of US privacy standards.

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08 Jul 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

What will Brexit mean for our privacy?

The Brexit clock is ticking.

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03 Jul 2020 By Pascal Crowe

Winners, losers, and unanswered questions

In their report released on Monday the House of Lords’ Democracy and Digital Technologies Select Committee produced a comprehensive overview of problems it considers to be of high importance to a functioning democracy.

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26 Jun 2020 By Matthew Rice

Where everybody knows your name: pubs and data

The UK Government has announced that pubs can reopen on 4 July, and in the process asked them to start collecting the personal data of their customers to assist in test and trace.

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23 Jun 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

NHSX App delayed, but data protection still MIA

It finally happened: NHSX came to realise the issues surrounding their contact tracing app, and decided to switch to a decentralised approach.

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17 Jun 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

NHSX App: no news is bad news

Amid some confusion, reports would indicate that the NHSX contact tracing app may be released nationwide in less than two weeks.

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16 Jun 2020 By Matthew Rice

Police data practices need to change: LEDS is a start

A new information management system is being developed to replace the maligned and dated Police National Computer and Police National Database.

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15 Jun 2020 By Yva Alexandrova Meadway

Immigration sector privacy concerns

As part of ORG’s work in the area of immigration we have consulted 30 organisations on their priorities and needs.

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09 Jun 2020 By Pascal Crowe

Political parties: listen to your members

ORG’s Data and Democracy Project has been working for over a year to limit the use of personal data by political parties.

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08 Jun 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

The ICO we want

Last week, Open Rights Group (ORG) found out that the Information Rights tribunal ceased their general stay.

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03 Jun 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

Demand strong legal safeguards for Contact Tracing

The NHSX is currently testing their digital contact tracing app in the Isle of Wight, and is set to release it nation-wide sometime soon.

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02 Jun 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

Something is rotten in the Information Commissioner’s Office

The COVID-19 test and trace system immediately hit the news for its dubious privacy policy, as well as the lack of a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).

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29 May 2020 By Yva Alexandrova Meadway

Immigration Bill brings surveillance to EU migrants

The UK immigration regime is set for major changes, as the UK leaves the EU.

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22 May 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

ICO may have slowed down on AdTech, but we’re up and running

The ongoing coronavirus crisis may have pulled the brake on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) enforcement of your rights, but online advertising companies are doing just fine.

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19 May 2020 By Yva Alexandrova Meadway

Data, privacy and new tech in the immigration sector

Understanding the needs and capacities to deal with data, privacy and the use of new technologies in the immigration sector Please take a moment to answer our survey on the immigration sector needs and capacities to deal with privacy, personal data, digital and technological changes: https://www.

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13 May 2020 By Mariano delli Santi

NHSX tracking app Privacy Assessment: Key Concerns

NHSX finally released the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) for their contact tracing app at the weekend.

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07 May 2020 By Yva Alexandrova Meadway

Hostile environment may stop migrants from using NHSX tracker app

This week the Government confirmed that the NHSX app being developed as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic is using a centralised contact matching system.

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24 Apr 2020 By Jim Killock

Time for a Coronavirus Safeguards Bill

While we pause our weekly online discussions, we’ll keep you informed here on the fast moving debate over digital privacy and Covid-19.

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21 Apr 2020 By Yva Alexandrova Meadway

Contact tracing apps & vulnerable migrants: key concerns

In our recent blog we discussed the emerging privacy issues around contact tracing and ‘immunity passports’, and the announcement from Google and Apple that they are jointly working on a contact tracing app.

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