The Norwegian Consumer Council published a report in October 2017 called #WatchOut: Analysis of smartwatches for children, which identified critical security flaws, a false sense of security and consumer rights failings in all of the four devices analysed. Øystein Flagstad, Partner at Grette, provides an outline of the report’s findings. / read more

On 23 May 2017, the EU Council of Ministers announced that a so-called ‘general approach’ on the proposed revision of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (the ‘AVMS Directive’) had been reached, thus triggering the EU trilogue process on reform of the legislation. Here, John Enser and Tomos Jones of CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP discuss the key substantive provisions within the proposed AVMS Directive, noting that while the core structure of the Directive may remain the same in many respects, there are also some radical departures in the proposed revision. / read more

The British Phonographic Industry (‘BPI’) has called for urgent reform of existing measures to curb online IP infringement that it argues are ineffective. However, the volume of takedown requests raises issues of proportionality and manageability for information society service providers (‘ISSPs,’ e.g. ISPs) who have to implement such procedures. Jeremy Blum and Sarah Blair of Bristows LLP consider the issues raised. / read more

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law Federal Law No. 264-FZ enacting a so-called ‘Right to be Forgotten’ on 13 July, which will allow individuals in Russia to request the removal of hyperlinks, to information that contradicts Russian legislation, or information that is deemed incorrect or outdated, from search engines. / read more

The high profile dispute in the ‘Microsoft Ireland’ case has called into question the reach of criminal search warrants issued by the US Government. In this context, the Law Enforcement Access to Data Stored Abroad Act (the ‘LEADS Act’) has been introduced to the US Congress, and which would, inter alia, disallow the US Government from using a warrant under the US Electronic Communications Privacy Act to acquire data stored outside the US unless that data belonged to a US citizen. Peter S. Vogel, Michelle Schulz, Elsa Manzanares and Sadie F. Butler of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP discuss the proposed Act. / read more

US Attorney General Eric Holder called on 24 February for a national data breach notification law, with exemptions if no private data is compromised, in reaction to cyber attacks “becoming all too common.” / read more

In Slovenia, the European Parliament Directive 2006/24/EC on data retention entered the Slovene legal system via the country's Electronic Communications Act, which came into effect on 15 January 2013. The Act has already been challenged, on 19 March 2013, on data retention grounds by Slovenia's Information Commissioner. The Commissioner argues that Slovenia's data retention regulation violates, inter alia, the constitutional right to privacy, as mag. Mitja Podpe_an, Senior Associate at Jadek & Pensa discusses. / read more

The Metropolitan Police Service published in February a damning report on ticket crime, called 'Ticket Crime Problem Profile.' The Report draws its findings and recommendations from Operation Podium, the team set up by the Met to address ticket crime affecting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Jessica Woodhead, a Trainee Solicitor at Michael Simkins LLP, explores Operation Podium, a three-year analysis of ticket crime with a particular focus on unauthorised secondary ticket websites. / read more

Google has claimed that current privacy rules don't work globally, and has called for global privacy standards to be developed, pointing to the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum's Privacy Framework, endorsed by APEC ministers in 2004, as a starting point. / read more

The UK's Information Commissioner has called on business and public sector leaders to take their employee and customer data security obligations more seriously following a number of 'unacceptable 'data breaches. / read more