The Digital Economy Act (the "Act") finally received Royal Assent on 27 April 2017 and the final text was published at the beginning of May. First introduced in the House of Commons in July 2016, it has been the subject… Read more

In April 2017, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) published a final version of its Customer Security Controls Framework (the "Framework"), as part of its Customer Security Programme which launched in June 2016. SWIFT is a messaging network… Read more

The Mirai malware gained its infamy in October 2016 following its record breaking attack on systems operated by domain name system provider Dyn, using unsecured Internet of Things ("IoT") enabled "smart" devices (such as CCTV recorders, webcams and routers). It… Read more

‘Trust and transparency’ is the theme of this year’s Privacy Awareness Week (15-19 May 2017). This is an annual event held since 2006 to raise awareness across the Asia-Pacific region of the importance of protecting personal information. While ‘trust’ and… Read more

The Financial Times recently referred to Big Data as "a vague term for a massive phenomenon that has rapidly become an obsession with entrepreneurs, scientists, governments and the media". And it does seem to appear from the headlines that there… Read more

The Investigatory Powers Act (the "IPA") was given Royal Assent on 29 November 2016, despite being described by Edward Snowden as "the most extreme surveillance in the history of western democracy". At its core, the IPA is a consolidation of existing legislation… Read more

The CJEU has ruled that the operator of a website may have a legitimate interest in storing certain personal data relating to visitors to that website in order to protect itself against cyber attacks. In the case of Patrick Breyer… Read more

On 23 October 2016, the Department for Culture Media and Sport ("DCMS") confirmed plans to introduce personal liability for directors in relation to "nuisance calls". Under the proposals, directors could each be fined up to £500,000 by the Information Commissioner's… Read more

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee ("Committee") recently published its findings following an inquiry into robotics and artificial intelligence ("AI") in March 2016. The published report examines the potential value and capabilities of robotics and AI, as well… Read more

A federal appeals court handed a major win to Microsoft when it ruled that US authorities cannot compel US tech companies to disclose e-mail content that they store on servers located outside the United States. The case arises from Microsoft's… Read more

Victoria’s current Commissioner for Privacy and Data Protection has been appointed by the United Nations to head a global study into big data, under the auspices of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy. Big data poses significant… Read more

In May 2016, the OAIC released the draft Guide to assist entities to undertake big data activities in accordance with privacy laws. In brief The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has released a draft ‘Guide to Big Data… Read more