Category Archives: Internet governance

A child’s legal right to porn? I don’t think so.

Posted on June 18, 2020 by

Pornhub is not an aid, comforter or reliable source of advice, guidance, support or information for children who are anxious or inquisitive about sex, their own sexuality, or relationships. Neither is any other porn site I know about. The fact … Continue reading →

Posted in Age verification, Internet governance, Pornography, Regulation, Self-regulation, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Problems with the GDPR

Posted on June 7, 2020 by

The EU recently undertook a review of the first two years of the operation of the GDPR. If you missed it you are not alone. The existence of the review was not well publicised. It will report soon but the … Continue reading →

Posted in Age verification, Child abuse images, Consent, Default settings, Internet governance, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation

President Trump gets it wrong

Posted on May 29, 2020 by

So it wasn’t an empty threat.  President Trump did it. He signed an Executive Order which, in essence, seeks to change the law on platform immunity, as conferred by s.230, Communications Decency Act 1996. It is doubtful the Executive Order … Continue reading →

Posted in Facebook, Google, Internet governance, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation

Anonymity and privacy in the time of encryption

Posted on May 20, 2020 by

“What’s in a name?” is a recent publication from Demos (full disclosure: many moons ago I was a founding trustee of Demos but I haven’t had much contact with them of late). The Demos authors did a great job describing … Continue reading →

Posted in Default settings, Internet governance, Regulation, Self-regulation, Uncategorized | Tagged

The scandal that keeps on harming kids

Posted on May 15, 2020 by

Behind the reflecting glass windows of a modern office block at 12025 Waterfront Drive, Los Angeles, are the people who have the power to end one of the great scandals of modern technology. The question is: why are they not … Continue reading →

Posted in Child abuse images, Default settings, Internet governance, Regulation, Self-regulation

A chance to amend the GDPR?

Posted on April 28, 2020 by

The European Union is currently reviewing aspects of the operation of the GDPR. The consultation closes tomorrow so if you want to stick something in you better move fast. Below is a submission I just made on behalf of various … Continue reading →

Posted in Child abuse images, ICANN, Internet governance, Regulation, Self-regulation

After the war is over

Posted on April 13, 2020 by

It is impossible for anyone to say with any level of certainty what the post-pandemic world will look like. Some pundits believe everything will be completely different. Rather more seem to be saying nothing much will change or things could … Continue reading →

Posted in Default settings, Facebook, Google, ICANN, Internet governance, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation

More progress in the fight against online child sex abuse

Posted on March 13, 2020 by

Last week representatives from the Governments of the “Five Eyes” nations, (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA) gathered in Washington DC. They endorsed a set of eleven voluntary principles to combat a range of online threats to … Continue reading →

Posted in Age verification, Child abuse images, Facebook, Google, Internet governance, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation

Companies behaving like states

Posted on March 10, 2020 by

Tech companies and Governments between them created the crisis of confidence that is said to be stimulating the demand for greater online privacy protection. Yet they are now lining up on opposite ends of the argument about how to address … Continue reading →

Posted in Consent, Internet governance, Regulation, Self-regulation

No room for complacency

Posted on February 20, 2020 by

My last blog was fairly upbeat about the UK Government’s interim response to the consultation on Online Harms. True the response was light on concrete proposals but much of the language was excellent. The overall tone was tough and purposeful. … Continue reading →

Posted in Age verification, Child abuse images, Default settings, E-commerce, Internet governance, Regulation, Self-regulation, Uncategorized