Category Archives: 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

The long and winding road

Posted on February 13, 2020 by

It has been a busy week in the UK. Yesterday the Government finally published  its “initial response” to the Online Harms consultation. That’s the consultation which was concluded in July last year (admittedly a lot has happened since then e.g. … Continue reading →

Posted in Age verification, E-commerce, Internet governance, Regulation, Self-regulation | 1 Comment

Facebook urged to rethink its plans for encryption

Posted on February 6, 2020 by

Today children’s organizations from over 100 hundred countries around the world publish a letter urging Facebook to rethink its plans on encryption. So far the story has been picked up and reported by the BBC, the Financial Times and the … Continue reading →

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

A big step with bigger implications

Posted on January 24, 2020 by

Earlier this week the British media were full of reports of the “Age Appropriate Design Code”. It had just been published by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s  data protection authority. The Code’s provisions are likely to become fully … Continue reading →

Posted in Age verification, Consent, Privacy, Regulation, Self-regulation

Movement on age verification?

Posted on January 19, 2020 by

R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, ex Parte Fire Brigades Union is  a famous case from 1995. It was decided by  our Supreme Court (then still called the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords). The Government … Continue reading →

Posted in Age verification, Pornography, Regulation, Self-regulation

Yesterday in Parliament – news and no news about porn

Posted on January 10, 2020 by

Yesterday was the final day of debate on the “Gracious Address” in the House of Lords. The Address had been delivered by Her Majesty on 19th December to mark the opening of a new Parliamentary year and a new Parliament … Continue reading →

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

Is the cure worse than the disease?

Posted on December 23, 2019 by

In a blog which focuses on the meaning of “privacy” in the modern world, Privacy International published an excellent summary of key international instruments which address the subject. At the end they announce their conclusion Privacy is a qualified, fundamental … Continue reading →

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