Open case law is here at last

From today judgments of the superior courts of England and Wales have a new, official home at The National Archives (TNA) which has now taken over the HMCTS publishing contract from BAILII. The Case Law website at https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk is dubbed an “Alpha”. Essentially it is a work in progress and it is best not to […]

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Restricting the internet

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the subsequent imposition of a wide array of sanctions by Western governments and companies, has raised the prospect of Russia essentially unplugging itself from the global internet. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has refused calls to revoke Russia’s top-level domains and Secure Sockets Layer […]

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The Law Commission report on automated vehicles

The recently published joint report of the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission addresses some of the legal questions concerning the introduction of driverless cars onto British roads. The report proposes an “Automated Vehicles Act” to ensure there are adequate regulations governing such vehicles, meaning those “capable of driving themselves […]

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Web3: blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs – where will it end?

There’s a buzz currently around Web3. “What’s that?”, you ask. You’ve doubtless heard of cryptocurrencies and perhaps now also about blockchain and NFTs. These are all part of the same picture, but how do they relate to each other and where will they lead us? The 1-2-3 of the web Web 1.0 was the term […]

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What to expect from digital conveyancing in 2022

The conveyancing sector has seen quite the transformation over the last five years, transitioning from a labour-intensive manual industry to one that is embracing digital. There are big changes coming to the industry in 2022, from mandatory digital AP1 submissions to greater adoption of completely digital onboarding solutions and eSignature usage. Technology has played a […]

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Accountability for algorithms

Sometimes it is hard to remember that law goes on being made during pandemics, just as it does during wars and in economic crises. The laws made now whilst we battle with the ethical and economic impact of possible further lock-downs and social distancing measures, is intended to regulate future activities, even if we can’t […]

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Electronic Evidence and Electronic Signatures

The 5th edition of Electronic Evidence and Electronic Signatures updates this well-established practitioner text. Stephen Mason and Daniel Seng have brought together a team of experts in the field to provide an exhaustive treatment of electronic evidence and electronic signatures. This edition continues to follow the tradition in English evidence text books by basing the […]

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Smart doorbells: data protection concerns

As more and more everyday products are produced with internet connectivity – whether it actually improves functionality or is more of a gimmick – there are increased concerns regarding cybersecurity and data protection. The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to both these WiFi-enabled goods and the wider concept of having everything connected to the internet […]

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Court judgments to be publicly available from The National Archives

As announced in June 2021, from April 2022 significant court judgments past and present from the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Crown Court, the House of Lords, the Supreme Court, the Privy Council, and other courts and tribunals, will be available as public records from The National Archives (TNA). At present, there are […]

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The Internet for Lawyers (reprise)

I have been writing about the internet for lawyers since 1995 when it first entered the public consciousness and the first few legal websites were born. These early writings, and many since, are published on my blog Binary Law. In 2007 I joined Delia Venables editing the Internet Newsletter for Lawyers, launching the Newsletter online […]

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ICLR.4 and the genie in the bottle

Some years ago the editor of this Newsletter complained of the over-use of the description “artificial intelligence” in legal products: “hyping AI is unhelpful”, he said. “AI is just what computers do.” And he’s not alone in expressing scepticism about the often extravagant claims of AI. Much of the mystique around it stems from simple […]

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GDPR fines: implications of the WhatsApp decision

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) recently issued its largest ever fine in respect of a breach of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by WhatsApp. Following an extensive investigation, it concluded that the messaging service, owned by Facebook, had failed to meet the transparency requirements under articles 12–14 of the GDPR. The DPC had […]

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