Huge erections - or lots of small ones. Checkmate, mast NIMBYs
UK gov mulls bigger mobe towers to boost Blighty's signals
Easing restrictions on the maximum height that existing telecoms masts can be increased to will lead to a reduction in the number of masts needed for supporting mobile broadband services, an expert has said.
The Government is consulting on proposals to improve mobile connectivity in England [44-page 306KB PDF]. The plans include …
'Inconsistent' watchdogs throw cloud biz barons into a tizzy
Inexperienced officials wreck everything, says expert
A lack of consistency over the way Asian regulators approach data privacy issues has led to a slow take-up of cloud services by businesses in the region, an expert has said.
Hong Kong-based outsourcing contracts expert Peter Bullock of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said that cloud providers are not offering …
Retailers: You could get the chance to TEAR UP Penguin ebook contracts
EU competition commitments opened up to market testing
Retailers could be offered the chance to terminate some agreements formed with Penguin over the sale of electronic books as part of the UK publishing company's bid to resolve European Commission concerns about the nature of those agreements.
Penguin has formed an informal agreement with the Commission over its practices in …
Now draft biz guillotine law triggers info privacy watchdog
Data revealed during insolvencies sparks Euro ire
There are insufficient data protection safeguards built in to proposed reforms to the EU's insolvency law framework, a privacy watchdog has said.
In a recently issued opinion into the European Commission's draft Insolvency Regulation, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) raised concerns about the mandatory publication …
Your consent 'almost always' needed when firms use your data to profile you
Watchdog, er... reassures Euro punters
Organisations "almost always" require individuals' "free, specific, informed and unambiguous 'opt-in' consent" in order to make use of personal data they have previously collected in Big Data projects that involve analysing or predicting the "personal preferences, behaviour and attitudes of individual customers", an EU privacy …
New rules to end cries of 'WTF... a £10 online booking fee?'
Excessive charges: Hopefully something to tell your grandchildren about
The government has issued guidance that sets out the kind of costs businesses incur that they are legitimately able to claim back through payment surcharging.
Under the Consumer Protection (Payment Surcharges) Regulations, which took effect on 6 April, businesses are prohibited from charging consumers excessive fees for using a …
GPs blow whistle to watchdog on patient record privacy threat
Docs fear they'll break data protection laws
The UK's data protection watchdog has highlighted concerns it has with a new information-sharing initiative that has begun operating in the health sector in England.
Earlier this week a new Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) was established with the power to require health bodies to hand over "any information" …
EU red-tape slash shock: New tool defuses web shop argy-bargies
Bad luck, lawyers, shopping gripe site approved
Online traders will be able to resolve contractual disputes with consumers based in other EU countries through a new online dispute resolution (ODR) framework after MEPs voted to back the new regime earlier this week.
The European Parliament approved a new ODR Regulation and a new Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Directive …
$1.5k per complaint. Up to 1,900 gTLDs. Brand owners, prepare to PAY
ICANN's new regime won't account for 'typosquatting', says expert
Brand owners may face a costly battle to fight 'typosquatters' under a new top-level domain regime, an expert has warned.
In 2011 the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the body that oversees the identification of websites, voted to expand the number of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) that are in use …
EU mulls almost-anonymisation of folks' data to cut biz some slack
What does it matter if millions of 'Joe Bloggs' records are leaked?
Officials from justice departments across the EU have been asked to explore to what extent the pseudonymisation of personal data can be used to "calibrate" businesses' obligations to data protection.
Pseudonymisation (such as assigning fake names to people), as opposed to anonymisation (complete stripping of identity), allows …
Tech titans: Give it a rest with the SEP injunctions, wouldja? - economists
Standard-essential patent owners should be more FRANDly
Standard-essential patent owners should be required to try to settle licensing disputes out of court in a bid to restrict the affects of litigation on market innovation, three prominent economists have said.
In a paper for the Competition Policy International (CPI) think tank, Kai-Uwe Kühn, Howard Shelanski and Fiona Scott …
New UK.gov cyber-security standard puts MANAGERS in firing line
Gov seeks views on private sector rules
The UK government is seeking to hear from businesses that would be interested in submitting evidence to help form a new "organisational standard" for cyber security.
The Cyber Security and Resilience Team within the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS) has asked businesses to detail initial interest in …
World spent $3.6 TREEELLION on ICT in 2012 - analyst
Hardware bods should watch out though, there's CANNIBALS about
International Data Corporation (IDC) said that the figure included what businesses had spent on telecoms services and that total expenditure on hardware, software and IT services alone had topped $2 trillion on its own. The latter figure represented a 5.9 per cent increase from the total IT expenditure in 2011 and was recorded …
Google: Our 'freedom of expression' should trump punters' privacy
'Right to be forgotten' is overrated, huffs search giant
Google has called on the EU's highest court to uphold its right to display links to published "valid legal material" in the face of calls from Spain's data protection authority to remove links on the grounds of privacy.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is due today to stage a hearing on a case in which it has …
Bundestag holds 'unusual' hearing on German Copyright Act
Expert: May indicate parliamentary 'push-back' on copyright reform
A "highly unusual" additional parliamentary hearing on proposed changes to German copyright law is a sign that there is increasing opposition to the publisher-driven plans, an expert has said.
A cross-party sub committee on new media is scheduled to stage a hearing of stakeholders' views on the proposed amendments to the German …
How private biz can link YOU to 'anonymised' medical data
And all without your consent, FOI request reveals
Private sector businesses could obtain "identifiable" information about patients without their consent under a new scheme that will see medical data made commercially accessible, according to information disclosed by the government.
Under plans previously unveiled by the government, a new research body, the Clinical Practice …
Nursing watchdog fined £150k for confidential unencrypted DVD loss
'Highly sensitive' discs for 'fitness to practise' hearing vanish
The UK's data protection watchdog has fined the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) £150,000 after it deemed its failure to encrypt sensitive personal data stored on DVDs that were lost to be a serious breach of the Data Protection Act.
The nursing and midwifery regulator had arranged for the DVDs, which contained confidential …
ICO: How 'sensitive' is personal data? Depends what it's used for...
It's all about context, says the data protection watchdog
The sensitivity of personal information should be determined by the reasons behind why the information is to be processed, the UK's data protection watchdog has said.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) outlined its view in a new paper in which it analysed the European Commission's proposed new EU Data Protection …
US diplomat: If EU allows 'right to be forgotten' ... it might spark TRADE WAR
'Things could really explode' warns US Foreign Service man
US diplomat warns of "trade war" if "right to be forgotten" proposals in Europe are followed through.
The introduction of planned changes to EU data protection laws could herald a trans-Atlantic "trade war", a US diplomat has warned.
John Rodgers, economic Officer in the US Foreign Service, said that "things could really …
'Most US banks' were DDoSed last year - survey
One in 10 banking IT bods say 'budget constraints' an issue
Nearly two-thirds of retail banks experienced at least one distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack in the past year, according to a new survey.
In a new report, (12-page/941KB PDF) commissioned by Corero Network Security, 64 per cent of 650 IT and IT security experts from 351 banks said a DDoS attack had been carried out on …
Cautious Brits less likely than US firms to puff on clouds - survey
'The UK attitude is it is inherently less safe with a third party'
A "fragmented" legal framework, the "attitude" of regulators and a naturally cautious approach to security issues are among the reasons why UK businesses have made less use of cloud computing than US counterparts, according to experts.
IT law and cloud computing specialists Charles Park and Christopher Mann of Pinsent Masons …
UK taxmen turn heat on tax-swerving big biz, hope to smoke out £1bn
HMRC probes surge in 'profit shifting' trick
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has increased its focus on international businesses it suspects of using profit shifting techniques to avoid taxes in the UK, according to figures obtained by Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com.
A freedom of information (FOI) request made by the firm showed that the department's large …
Hooking offshore wind farms into UK grid will HIKE bills, MPs warn
'Leccy supply deals will bankroll investors, bankrupt us
It is "unlikely" that a new licensing system intended to connect offshore wind farms to the national grid will save consumers money, an influential committee of MPs has warned.
In a report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said that the offshore transmission operator (OFTO) licensing regime could instead "lead to higher …
Biz barons jumpy over EU draft data protection reforms
Might they be wanting their pre-ticked boxes back?
An MEP's suggested reforms to EU data protection laws, which are to be put to a vote before the European Parliament, would damage the interests of businesses, an alliance of business groups has said.
In a statement, the Industry Coalition for Data Protection (ICDP) criticised the draft report that Jan-Phillip Albrecht published …
Happy now? Mobiles, cloud, big data now 'a growing security risk'
Wheels are about to fall off those bandwagons, warn EU advisors
Innovations in mobile and cloud computing, social technology and the use of "big data" present an emerging risk to organisations' IT security, experts have warned.
The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), which is an EU advisory body, said that those technologies would increasingly provide the platform for " …
A pre-ticked box in web forms should NOT mean consent - EU report
New proposals suggest an end to automated assent
Businesses will not be able to use pre-ticked boxes to gain user consent for the processing of their data under changes proposed by the European Parliament to new EU data protection laws.
In a new report, Jan-Philipp Albrecht, a rapporteur for the European Parliament's Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee on the …
New gov rules stick pin into bloated ICT frameworks
Cabinet: Suppliers 'of all sizes' need to get a fair crack
Following an internal review of government IT procurement, the Cabinet Office has announced that it has scrapped plans to use some existing ICT frameworks.
It has said that government departments will only be able to establish framework agreements in future if they can show it will "explicitly deliver against key strategic needs …
Chill out, biz barons... your new IT system might not look like the old one
Being over-prescriptive will cost you
Organisations that wish to update their IT systems and transform their business need to be careful not to be overly prescriptive with suppliers and overlook other important considerations, an expert in resolving IT disputes has said.
Ian Birdsey of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said that organisations often " …
ICO hits the road to crack 'underlying problem' at data-leak councils
Watchdog dishes out £300k in fines, starts knocking on doors
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) will meet representatives from local authorities to address what it has called an "underlying problem" with the bodies' approach to data protection.
The ICO made the announcement after it reported that it had served civil monetary penalty notices to four separate local authorities in …
Tweeting bankers warned: U better not mislead customers...LOL
Did u rly just tranfer £20k instead of £200 #checkthedecimaldumbass
Banks must remember regulatory compliance issues when interacting with customers via Twitter, says an expert.
Banks face regulatory risks when responding to customers through social media channels, a legal expert has said.
A new study by Virgin Media Business has revealed that 63 per cent of banks now respond to customer …
Silicon Roundabout £50m THING to spew 200 startups A YEAR
Mentoring and incubating Blighty out of recession
Prime Minister David Cameron and Mayor of London Boris Johnson have unveiled plans to establish a £50 million "technical and creative institute" around the area dubbed the Silicon Roundabout at Old Street in London.
The plans, set out at a conference organised by LSE Cities, propose an architecture-designed scheme housing 200 …
Start the clock! Public sector web MUST be disabled-friendly by 2015
Latest proposal from European Commission to benefit '100 million' people
Public sector organisations will be required to ensure that disabled users of their websites have the same access to certain content and services as other internet users by the end of 2015 under new European Commission proposals.
The Commission said that more than 100 million EU residents would benefit from the rules it has …
ICO: Anonymised data doesn't HAVE to guarantee your privacy
German watchdog: Sure, but let's be careful, ja?
Data anonymisation does not have to provide a 100 per cent guarantee to individuals' privacy in order for it to be lawful for organisations to disclose the information, the UK's data protection watchdog has said.
The view of the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), detailed in a new code of practice (108-page/2.15MB PDF) on …
OEMs and sellers must pay refunds on software faults - OFT
Likewise on dodgy film downloads, DVDs etc
Businesses that sell digital content to consumers should generally be responsible for providing refunds when services connected to that content fall below "quality standards" due to faults with the content, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said.
The UK's consumer protection regulator said that consumers should have a "right …
EC tells Euro rebels: Hike up your ebook tax to 15%, or else
Lower VAT in Luxembourg, France distorts competition, says Commission
Luxembourg and France must stop applying a reduced VAT rate to electronic books because doing so distorts competition across the rest of the EU and is in breach of EU tax laws, the European Commission has said.
The Commission said it had issued both member states with "reasoned opinions" formally requesting that countries change …
Brace yourselves, IT suppliers: You'll be squeezed HARDER next year
It's no fun being an outsourcer
IT law specialist Clare Murray of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said that cost-cutting requirements and the changing needs of organisations are behind a rise in the number of IT outsourcing contract renegotiations. She said she expects the trend to continue.
"Customers are under pressure to cut costs and are …
Sky staffer plundered database to benefit naughty false firms
Keep your enemies close, your DBAs closer still
A former Sky employee who took Sky customers' information from its databases and passed it on for use by others was guilty of misusing the company's confidential information and infringing the firms' database rights, the High Court has ruled.
Steven Lee, who worked for Sky In-Home Service for more than five years, was also …
Brazilians strip Google News bare: News barons decide to pull out
Google News 'presence' in Brazil is 'small'
Members of the National Association of Newspapers in Brazil (ANJ) have decided to stop Google from displaying snippets of their content on the internet giant's 'News' service.
ANJ, which represents publishers making up approximately 90 per cent of the newspaper circulation market in Brazil, said that the appearance of its …
EU judge scolds Austria: Data sheriffs must be properly independent
You in the back, stop whispering with the chancellor ...
EU countries that merely provide for their appointed data protection authorities to have "functional independence" cannot be said to be compliant with EU law, the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled.
In order to be said to have "complete independence", DPA staff must not share the same offices as Government …
'No cutting off people's internet based on secret evidence'
Consumer group calls for MPAA to publish its methods
Ofcom should force rights-holders into publishing most of the details about how their systems for identifying cases of online copyright infringement work, a consumer watchdog has said.
In a letter (6-page/1.71MB PDF) to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Consumer Focus said that it would seek "full transparency in …
When cookie spewers single you out, it IS personal, barks watchdog
Identifiers should be classed as 'personal data' – EU body
Information that can lead to individuals being "singled out and treated differently" should generally be classed as "personal data", an EU privacy body has recommended.
The Article 29 Working Party has outlined changes (45-page/410KB PDF) to how it wants 'personal data' to be defined, and to what information the term should …
Watchdog: Gov bods should rummage through BINS for FOI data
Files sitting in electronic trash cans fair game for disclosure – ICO
Public sector bodies will generally be required to disclose information even if it is stored in computer 'recycle bins', the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has said. The watchdog has issued new guidance (25-page/350KB PDF) to help public bodies which are subject to the UK freedom of information (FOI) or environmental …
ICO tries to justify hefty NHS data breach fines
Money 'effectively' comes straight from patient care pot
The UK's data protection watchdog has defended its civil monetary penalty regime after it was criticised for the amounts of fines levied on public health bodies.
Earlier this week Christopher Fincken, the chairman of the UK Council of Caldicott Guardians, said that the money NHS bodies were using to pay fines levied on them by …
UK bungs £250m to factories stung by climate-change policy
Taxpayers cough up as rules send bills soaring
The heaviest energy users are being asked to shape a proposed £250m compensation package designed to help reduce the impact of energy and climate change policies on the cost of their electricity.
The new consultation, which sets out the design of the scheme, follows on from the Government's call for evidence on the issue in …
Don't delete that email! Why you must keep biz docs for 6 YEARS
Comment Don't be caught out when lawyers knock on the IT dept door
Companies should retain project emails and documents in a central repository for more than six years before considering deleting the information, an expert in resolving IT disputes has said.
Ian Birdsey of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said that organisations should consider retaining the information for …
Don't panic, but UK faces BLACKOUTS BY 2015
Spare electricity supply dwindling - Ofgem
The UK risks energy shortages by 2015 or 2016, energy regulator Ofgem has predicted. The shortages will primarily be caused by EU environmental legislation forcing the early closure of coal and oil-fired power stations, it said.
Its first annual Capacity Assessment [93-page / 1.9MB PDF] projects that electricity margins, or the …
EU green-lights 'copyright land grab' law on orphan work
Euro states ordered to join free-for-all
EU ministers backed new laws to allow libraries, museums and universities - among other organisations - to digitise works that have become "orphaned" from their creators.
The Council of Minister's formal adoption of the EU's Directive on orphan works [29-page 154KB PDF] means that member states will now have to implement the …
Google Wallet: Rub our button, cough 15p for quick read
Tests the waters on pennies-for-content
A new scheme launched by Google is allowing internet users to pay to access content on individual pages on websites.
The internet giant has partnered with a select number of publishers – including Oxford University Press and Peachpit – to enable users of its 'Google Wallet' mobile payment system to buy content from individual …
Privacy guardian wants one EU rulebook on ID databases
'Keeping citizens' privates protected must be in law'
Organisations tasked with certifying systems individuals use for inputting personally identifying information should have to abide by a "common set of security requirements", an EU privacy body has said.
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) recommended that 'trust service providers', and those that issue individuals …
HMRC: Moving our data to the cloud will make it MORE secure
Skyscape deal will net £1m savings, claims UK taxman
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is to move data it currently stores in local offices to a new centralised government cloud computing depository in a move it says will save it £1m a year and improve on the security of its IT services.
HMRC said it had signed a contract with Skyscape Cloud Services to enable it to store data in the …
