The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog

Month: July 2022 (Page 1 of 3)

‘Hey Siri’: Virtual assistants are listening to children and then using the data – Stephen J. Neville and Natalie Coulter

In many busy households around the world, it’s not uncommon for children to shout out directives to Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa. They may make a game out of asking the voice-activated personal assistant (VAPA) what time it is, or requesting a popular song. While this may seem like a mundane part of domestic life, there is much more going on. Continue reading

Law and Media Round Up – 25 July 2022

On 20 July 2022, the Government published its Response to the Call for Evidence on Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation [pdf]. The Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab claimed that this sets out a series of measures to prevent so-called SLAPPs. According to the Ministry of Justice, this includes a new tool for the courts to throw out meritless claims quicker and a cap on costs to prevent the rich from “bullying” journalists with the threat of expensive litigation. Continue reading

It’s good to TalkTalk, Part 2: negligence claims for data breaches – Eoin O’Dell

Two recent cases demonstrate two very different privacy issues arising out data breaches suffered by the telecommunications company TalkTalk in 2014 and 2015. Smith v TalkTalk Telecom Group plc [2022] EWHC 1311 (QB) (27 May 2022) concerned claims for damages for both breaches; whilst Sterritt v Telegraph Media Group Ltd [2022] NIQB 43 (09 June 2022) concerned the privacy of one of the hackers involved in the second breach. In my previous post, I looked at the limits of claims for misuse of private information for both breaches in Smith. In this post, I want to look at Smith (again) and at Sterritt, to consider the limits of a claim in negligence in such cases. Continue reading

It’s good to TalkTalk, Part 1: misuse of private information claims for data breaches – Eoin O’Dell

It's good to TalkTalkTwo recent cases demonstrate two very different privacy issues arising out data breaches suffered by the telecommunications company TalkTalk in 2014 and 2015. Smith v TalkTalk Telecom Group plc [2022] EWHC 1311 (QB) (27 May 2022) concerned claims for damages for both breaches; whilst Sterritt v Telegraph Media Group Ltd [2022] NIQB 43 (09 June 2022) concerned the privacy of one of the hackers involved in the second breach. In this post, I want to look at the limits of claims for misuse of private information for both breaches in Smith. In the next post, I will look at Smith (again) and at Sterritt, to consider the limits of a claim in negligence in such cases. Continue reading

SLAPPs: Government Response to Call for Evidence, More Questions than Answers

On 20 July 2022 the Government published its response to the call for evidence on Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation [pdf] with a Foreword by Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab.   This document summarises the evidence on each of the 45 questions posed in the “Call for Evidence” and sets out the Government response to each one.   It is a disappointing document which includes no clear concrete proposals and is, in important respects, wholly inadequate. Continue reading

If IPSO is a tough regulator then why is it so soft on intrusions into grief and shock? – Paul Wragg

IPSO should be applauded for its phenomenal success in convincing gullible politicians that the press is ‘properly regulated’. IPSO’s chair, Lord Faulks, speaking in the House of Lords (he is a politician, after all) in December 2021 was happy enough to embellish further to say that not only are the press ‘properly regulated’ but also ‘accountable’. Continue reading

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