Legislation
Alarms Over Mass Monitoring of Benefit Claimants
There are concerns that a new government bill designed to tackle benefit fraud could subject millions of claimants to routine bank surveillance, even when there’s no suspicion of wrongdoing. What Is the Fraud Bill? Earlier this month, MPs passed the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, a piece of legislation aimed at cracking down…
Read MoreUAE First Country Using AI To Write Laws
The United Arab Emirates has become the first country in the world to officially use artificial intelligence to write, review and amend its federal and local laws, a move that is already sparking global debate about the future of governance. A Bold Leap Into AI-Driven Legislation In a decision that has stunned many policy experts,…
Read MoreUK-Gov Disallowed To Hide Apple Encryption Battle
A judge has ruled that the UK government’s legal dispute with Apple over encrypted data access must be heard in public, rejecting claims that secrecy was needed for national security reasons. The Encryption Battle That Spilled Into the Open At the heart of this case is Apple’s Advanced Data Protection (ADP) system, a tool designed…
Read MoreNew UK Law Could Hit IT Firms With £100K-a-Day Fines
The UK government has unveiled sweeping new cyber legislation that could see organisations hit with fines of up to £100,000 (per day!) if they fail to respond to threats in time – a move that dramatically raises the stakes for IT providers, critical service operators, plus their supply chains. Tough New Rules Aimed at Critical…
Read MoreHP’s Toner-Blocking Settlement
HP has (quietly) settled a class action lawsuit over claims it deliberately blocked customers from using third-party toner cartridges in its printers, without paying a penny in damages. Locking Out Third-Party Toner The lawsuit centred on HP’s controversial Dynamic Security feature, i.e. software designed to detect and reject toner cartridges not produced by HP itself.…
Read MorePublic Hearing Demanded For Apple’s UK Encryption
Privacy advocates are calling for Apple’s legal challenge against a secret UK government order to be heard in public, arguing that millions of users’ privacy rights are at stake. Could Set Precedent The case, currently set to be conducted behind closed doors, could set a major precedent for the future of encryption and government surveillance.…
Read MoreMozilla Backtracks on Terms of Use After Backlash
Non-profit web tech organisation Mozilla has rewritten Firefox’s Terms of Use after widespread criticism from users who feared the company was overreaching with its data policies. Vague Wording? It seems that the backlash stemmed from vague and broad wording in the updated terms, which many believed gave Mozilla rights over any data entered into the…
Read MoreBanks to Pay Millions After IT Failures Leave Customers Stranded
UK banking customers who have faced repeated IT failures are set to receive millions in compensation, following a damning Treasury Committee investigation into the scale and impact of these outages. Nine Banks The inquiry revealed that in the past two years alone, nine major banks and building societies have suffered more than a month’s worth…
Read MoreMusicians Unite in Silence, Protesting AI Copyright Reforms
Over 1,000 musicians have released a silent album, Is This What We Want?, in protest against UK copyright law changes that would allow AI companies to use copyrighted material without creators’ permission. A Symbolic Protest The album, comprising 12 tracks of ambient studio sounds, symbolises the artists’ concerns about the potential erosion of their rights and…
Read MoreLaw Firm Restricts AI Access After Surge in Usage
It’s been reported that international law firm Hill Dickinson has introduced new restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools following a sharp increase in staff engagement with the technology. What Happened? The development was first reported by the BBC after it allegedly obtained an internal email from Hill Dickinson’s senior management. The email…
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