Over the past decade, music streaming services have grown rapidly, now accounting for more than 80% of music sales in the UK.  Consumers have benefitted from access to large catalogues of music, at lower prices, using a range of innovative services such as higher quality audio, view video content and synced song lyrics.  Music streaming … Read more

On 1 February 2023 the Online Safety Bill received its Second Reading in the House of Lords. The discussion that ensued around concerns with, and areas of change required to, the Bill provides an insight into what we can expect for the Bill as it moves through the House of Lords. Key themes included: A … Read more

As the Online Safety Bill begins its journey in the House of Lords, in this blog we recap on the key changes to the Bill since it was first introduced in the House of Commons and the likely impact of those changes. In our further blog “The Online Safety Bill: Crystal ball gazing on the … Read more

Regulators around the world are focused on the operational resilience of financial institutions, financial market infrastructures (FMIs) and the financial system as a whole. One area of significant risk to the financial system is the dependency of financial institutions on critical third parties (CTPs), particularly in relation to the cloud and other information and communication … Read more

On 7 February, the Bank of England (the Bank) and His Majesty’s Treasury (HM Treasury) jointly published a Consultation Paper on the development of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) for the UK (or a digital pound). The three key take aways in respect of a likely digital pound are: No final decision has been made on whether there will … Read more

Happy International Data Privacy Day for Saturday! And what better reason than that to explore what 2023 is likely to have in store for data and privacy? We are just over one year on from the UK government hinting that it might think outside the box in terms of data protection regulation. Two years on … Read more

On 3 November 2022 the CMA published guidance for social media platforms, brands and content creators setting out how they should approach online advertising in order to ensure they comply with the relevant UK consumer protection legislation.  Social media platforms have a duty to prevent and address unlawful practices such as hidden advertising that are … Read more

EU – E-Commerce  The Digital Services Act (“DSA“) came into force on 16 November 2022, marking one of the European Union’s most significant updates to its legal framework for digital regulation since the adoption of the e-Commerce Directive in 2000. The DSA reshapes the responsibilities and accountability of digital services providers. You can read our … Read more