Category Archives: Privacy

A big “thank you” to Facebook

Posted on December 19, 2019 by

The essence of Facebook’s argument for changing Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct Messaging from unencrypted to encrypted environments is that “all the other major messaging Apps are already encrypted or are going to be so if we don’t do this … Continue reading →

Posted in Child abuse images, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation

More shocking insights

Posted on December 8, 2019 by

Here’s another great piece from the New York Times. It’s the third in the series. The headline tells you what the focus is this time around. Video Games and Online Chats are ‘Hunting Grounds’ for Sexual Predators Children are the … Continue reading →

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

More evidence about the dangers to children posed by encryption

Posted on December 6, 2019 by

Earlier this week the NSPCC published the results of a series of Freedom of Information requests it made to the police in England and Wales (so not the whole of the UK). They  asked the police how many cases they … Continue reading →

Posted in Child abuse images, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation

Good news from the EU

Posted on November 22, 2019 by

I have just heard the Finnish Presidency of the EU has decided NOT to press for a resolution of the ePrivacy Regulation before end of the year. I think we can say “hurrah!” This means the status quo remains i.e. … Continue reading →

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

Age verification update

Posted on October 17, 2019 by

Brexit madness is intensifying (and I didn’t think that was possible) so today’s media coverage of yesterday’s announcement by the Government of a delay in implementing age verification has not been anything like it would have been in more normal … Continue reading →

Posted in Age verification, Pornography, Privacy, Regulation

On encryption and child protection

Posted on October 5, 2019 by

A company is normally driven by a desire and a legal obligation to build “shareholder value”. In the case of one company, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg owns a majority of the voting stock so when looking at its big decisions we … Continue reading →

Posted in Child abuse images, Facebook, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation

There is something strange going on

Posted on September 30, 2019 by

I expect many of you will by now have seen the piece in the weekend edition of the  New York Times. I will be writing more fully about it quite soon but, meanwhile, there was something that rather leapt off … Continue reading →

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

Facebook moving in the right direction

Posted on September 19, 2019 by

That is not a headline I thought I would write any time soon. However, I have to say I applaud Facebook’s announcement earlier this week concerning the company’s plans to address the standards they will adopt in relation to content … Continue reading →

Posted in Default settings, E-commerce, Facebook, Internet governance, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation

Once more unto the breach

Posted on August 21, 2019 by

The dust has settled on the European elections. The President of the Commission has been appointed, congratulations to Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen. However, we don’t know who the individual Commissioners will be, much less how the portfolios will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Child abuse images, Facebook, Google, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation | 1 Comment

Something to think about

Posted on August 20, 2019 by

All of the early thinking about the internet – thinking which determined how it was set up at a fairly fundamental level – was framed by a belief that overwhelmingly the future users would be highly educated, therefore literate and … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Age verification, Consent, Default settings, E-commerce, Internet governance, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation