Last Month, The U.K. Commissioner for Public Appointments posted an advertisement for a new Information Commissioner. Current Commissioner Elizabeth Denham announced previously that she was leaving her post in October, having overseen the UK’s transition to new data protection laws. Whoever is hired will be stepping into quite a sizable pair of shoes. Data protection complaints doubled in 2018/19, from around 21,000 to […]
In the second instalment of our Emerging Tech series, we look at the development of commercial genetic testing, and the data protection implications of widespread genetic screening. “Customers who are genetically similar to you consume 60mg more caffeine a day than average.” “You are not likely to be a sprinter/power athlete” “Customers like you […]
WhatsApp have spent the last month putting out self-inflicted fires. After a disastrous announcement of changes to their terms of service, the company have been scrambling to convince users to stick with the app. However, even with delayed implementation of the new terms of services, and hundreds of reassurances, their PR nightmare has prompted many […]
Anyone involved in last year’s exam grade saga probably harbours a level of resentment against algorithms. The government formula was designed to standardise grades across the country. Instead, it affected students disproportionately, raising grades for students in smaller classes and more affluent areas. Conversely, students in poorer performing schools had their grades reduced, based on past grades from previous […]
Today is Data Protection Day. It’s not on the front page of the papers, but you might see a little notification on the bottom of the Google Homepage. In 2007, the Council of Europe designated January 28th Data Protection Day (or Data Privacy Day in other parts of the world), to highlight the importance of […]
It has now been over a year since Chinese authorities reported the first case of Covid-19 to the World Health Organisation. This year has brought tragedy for the many people who have lost loved ones. It’s also brought difficulties for all, with restrictions on our daily life that haven’t been seen since the 1940s. Mental […]
It has been a year of chaos. The Oxford English Dictionary usually nominate one word as ‘Word of the Year’. This year, there has been so much change that they couldn’t narrow it down to just one. “Covid-19, Lockdown, Anti-Maskers, Unmute” Not to forget “Bushfire” when millions of acres of Australian bushland burnt at the […]
The EU-US Privacy shield, a framework designed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the European commission, has been struck down by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The framework, approved by the EU in 2016, has been at the centre of several international discussions for the last few years. The program allowed companies to […]
With more than 3,000 cases of the new coronavirus confirmed, Italy has announced that it will be shutting all schools for 10 days, to slow the spread of the disease. With cases beginning to increase in the UK, the possibility of similar action being taken here is also increasing. Most students, teachers and lecturers are […]
Last week, the University of East Anglia (UEA) paid out over £140,000 compensation to students affected by a 2017 data breach. An email containing information on personal issues, health problems and circumstances such as bereavement, was mistakenly sent to 300 UEA students. The email contained sensitive personal data of over 190 people. UEA reported that […]