News
26 July, 2017
Brexit trade agreements ‘fragile’ after CJEU opinion on Passenger Name Record data
Any future agreement between the EU and UK would similarly be open to challenge if the UK’s laws do not uphold the privacy of EU citizens.
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17 July, 2017
Age verification plans put web users’ privacy at risk
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“Age verification could lead to porn companies building databases of the UK’s porn habits, which could be vulnerable to Ashley Madison style hacks.
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21 June, 2017
ORG response to Queen’s speech 2017
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“We need to ensure that Internet companies have as much incentive to fully protect free speech as they do to remove illegal content.
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12 June, 2017
Conservative plans for Internet clampdown are a distraction
Executive Director Jim Killock said: “To push on with these extreme proposals for Internet clampdowns would appear to be a distraction from the current political situation and from effective measures against terror.
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12 May, 2017
FOI response reveals porn company’s proposals for UK to block millions of porn sites
MindGeek, who are also developing Age Verification technology, said that the Government’s plans to prevent children from seeing pornography would not be effective unless millions of sites could be blocked.
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10 May, 2017
Rights groups demand more transparency over Facebook’s ‘insights’ into young users
Facebook should immediately release all documents describing how it collected and analyzed psychological information it recently collected about its youngest users, some as young as 14, and college students, Public Citizen and a coalition of 25 groups said in a letter to the corporation today.
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05 May, 2017
Selective, secret consultations have no place in open Government
This is a ‘targeted consultation’ and has not been publicised to the tech industry or public.
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03 May, 2017
Law Commission’s ‘shoddy and confused’ proposals would threaten free speech in UK
In their own report, ORG condemns the proposals as, “shoddy and confused, contradictory, poorly researched, and ill-informed on public interest issues”.
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01 May, 2017
ORG response to Home Affairs Committee report on hate speech and Internet companies
Executive Director, Jim Killock said:
“This report is very imbalanced.
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27 April, 2017
Parliament votes to put privacy in hands of porn companies
The Digital Economy Bill (DEBill) will require that porn sites verify the age of their users in order to prevent under 18s from viewing pornography.
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26 April, 2017
UK falls two places in World Press Freedom Index
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“Extensive surveillance powers are threatening investigative journalism and freedom of expression in the UK.
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21 April, 2017
Government must respond to CJEU ruling on surveillance
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“The government still hasn’t stated how it will respond to a CJEU ruling, which calls into question the legal basis for the current data retention regime.
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30 March, 2017
Campaigners call for transparency over Home Office meetings with tech companies
Rudd has asked for a meeting to discuss ways that companies can help the Government combat terrorism.
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28 March, 2017
Home Office breaching Cabinet Office guidelines over surveillance consultation argue campaigners
A group of lawyers, civil liberty groups and trade unions have written to the Home Secretary Amber Rudd to ask her to re-run her consultation into new Codes of Practice required under the Investigatory Powers Act.
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26 March, 2017
ORG responds to Amber Rudd’s comments on WhatsApp and encrypted communications
Rudd made the comments on the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme.
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20 March, 2017
Home Office tender suggests Government has accepted CJEU ruling on independent authorisation for retained data
The invitation acknowledges a 2016 judgment by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU or ECJ), stating that:
“The ECJ has recently upheld an appeal which challenges the current UK communications data retention and acquisition regime.
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16 March, 2017
Scottish Government drops controversial ID database proposals
Open Rights Group welcomes the Scottish Government’s decision to drop proposals that would have paved the way for a national ID register in Scotland.
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14 February, 2017
Digital Economy Bill could make UK citizens vulnerable to blackmail
Proposals in the Digital Economy Bill would mean that anyone found guilty of online copyright infringement could now get up to ten years in prison.
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13 February, 2017
Espionage law would criminalise journalists
Reacting to the consultation to create a new “Espionage Act”, Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group said:
“This is a full frontal attack on journalism, recommending criminalising even examining at secret services’ material.
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25 January, 2017
Stop Trump getting our data
Open Rights Group has called on the Prime Minister to ensure that the UK is not complicit with human rights abuses if President Trump keeps his promises to reinstate waterboarding and torture.
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21 December, 2016
Parliament must change the Investigatory Powers Act in response to CJEU ruling
The judgment relates to a case brought by Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson MP, over intrusive data retention powers.
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15 December, 2016
Government admits that Twitter could be forced to block accounts for UK users
Please sign the petition against these proposals
Proposals in the Digital Economy Bill will allow the BBFC to compel Internet Service Providers to block websites that don’t comply with age verification.
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29 November, 2016
Investigatory Powers Act is UK’s most extreme surveillance law
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“Amber Rudd says the Investigatory Powers Act is world-leading legislation.
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29 November, 2016
MPs vote for a national censor
Amendments to the Digital Economy Bill were accepted by MPs during its third reading yesterday.
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27 November, 2016
Petition means that parliament must consider IP Bill debate
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“The IP Bill was debated and passed while the public, media and politicians were preoccupied by Brexit.
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25 November, 2016
Know your rights when it comes to e-receipts on Black Friday
As well as encouraging shoppers to assert their legal rights, ORG is calling on shops to make sure they are not breaking the UK’s data protection laws.
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24 November, 2016
Government departments could share personal health and financial data with energy companies
Proposals in the Digital Economy Bill could see private energy companies being given personal data, including information about UK citizens’ health, housing and finances.
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17 November, 2016
The Investigatory Powers Bill’s impact will reach beyond the UK
Executive Director Jim Killock responded:
“The passing of the IP Bill will have an impact that goes beyond the UK’s shores.
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09 November, 2016
Open Rights Group responds to US election results
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“The US election has massive implications for the British public as both countries’ intelligence agencies are so closely integrated.
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03 November, 2016
MPs propose web blocking for porn sites
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“Perhaps these MPs have realised that plans to make all adult websites apply age verification are unworkable as foreign porn sites may simply not comply.
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02 November, 2016
Facebook is right to stop Admiral insurance from using its data
Executive Director Jim Killock said “We need to think about the wider consequences of allowing companies to make decisions that affect us financially or otherwise, based on what we have said on social media.
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01 November, 2016
Investigatory Powers Bill threatens the British public’s right to privacy
Open Rights Group’s Executive Director, Jim Killock, responded:
“The UK is one step closer to having one of the most extreme surveillance laws ever passed in a democracy.
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14 September, 2016
Copyright reform fails EU citizens in favour of industry
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“Thousands of EU citizens responded to the consultation on copyright, only for the Commission to ignore their concerns in favour of industry.
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13 September, 2016
Digital Economy Bill could lead to Ashley Madison style data breaches
Age verification for porn sites
The DEB includes plans to oblige porn websites to set up age verification to prevent under 18s from seeing adult content.
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19 August, 2016
ORG responds to David Anderson’s review of bulk surveillance
Policy Director of the Open Rights Group, Javier Ruiz, responded:
“The review presents only one side of the story, the utility of such powers to the state.
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19 July, 2016
ORG responds to CJEU Opinion into data retention
In today’s Opinion, the Advocate General said that data retention may be compatible with EU law only if data is being retained to fight serious crime and if there are strict safeguards in place.
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14 July, 2016
Microsoft win is a victory for privacy rights
The US government attempted to use a search warrant to access the data, instead of relying upon the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) agreed between the US and the EU and the US and Ireland.
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06 July, 2016
Open Rights Group response to Digital Economy Bill
The Bill includes welcome proposals that mean UK homes and businesses have a right to access Broadband.
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27 June, 2016
Investigatory Powers Bill should be put on hold following Brexit fall out
Digital rights campaigners, the Open Rights Group have called on the Government to stop the progression of the Investigatory Powers Bill (IP Bill) through Parliament.
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07 June, 2016
Open Rights Group urges MPs to vote against the IPBill if bulk powers remain
Executive Director, Jim Killock said:
“The Government is intent on pressing ahead with the IP Bill even though it will give the UK an extreme surveillance law unsuited to a democracy.
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06 June, 2016
ORG Snoopers’ Charter public toilet highlights importance of privacy
With the click of a button, the walls of the toilet turned transparent, exposing those inside.
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31 May, 2016
ORG calls on public to post pics to save Freedom of Panorama
Freedom of Panorama is the right that allows us to take photos of public buildings like the Shard, the Angel of the North or the Scottish parliament without asking the artist or the architect for permission.
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23 May, 2016
Waterstones customers lose out from DRM
Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group said:
“This shows how vulnerable customers are when their digital content is locked up by so-called ‘Digital Rights Management’.
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25 April, 2016
Theresa May has to answer to the ECtHR
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“Theresa May will be defending mass surveillance in the ECtHR over the next weeks, as they examine what we have learnt about huge programmes gathering everyone’s data.
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22 April, 2016
Ten year copyright jail terms
Reacting to Baroness Neville Rolfe’s announcement that the government would proceed with ten year sentences for online copyright infringement, Jim Killock said:
“We note that the minister has committed to narrowing the scope of the offence.
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12 April, 2016
CJEU hearing could find IPBill incompatible with EU law
The CJEU has been asked to explain its April 2014 Judgment in a case brought by Digital Rights Ireland, which ruled blanket data retention severely interfered with rights to respect for private life and the protection of personal data.
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15 March, 2016
ORG urges MPs to oppose the Investigatory Powers Bill
Executive Director, Jim Killock said:
“MPs of any political party who value democracy must resist the Government’s attempts to rush the Investigatory Powers Bill through Parliament.
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14 March, 2016
Renowned lawyer Myles Jackman appointed Legal Director for Open Rights Group
Myles was awarded the Law Society’s Junior Lawyer of the Year award in 2012 having represented Michael Peacock and Simon Walsh in their landmark obscenity prosecutions, the #ObscenityTrial and the #PornTrial.
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09 March, 2016
Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy condemns Investigatory Powers Bill
The Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy has heavily criticised the Investigatory Powers Bill in his first report to the Human Rights Council.
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01 March, 2016
Stop rushing the Investigatory Powers Bill through Parliament
Executive Director Jim Killock said:“The Home Office is treating the British public with contempt if it thinks it’s acceptable to rush a Bill of this magnitude through Parliament.
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11 February, 2016
ORG responds to the Joint Committee report into Investigatory Powers Bill
The Joint Committee has published its report into the draft Investigatory Powers Bill.
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09 February, 2016
ORG responds to the Intelligence and Security Committee report into the Investigatory Powers Bill
Open Rights Group welcomes the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report into the Investigatory Powers Bill.
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01 February, 2016
ORG responds to the Science and Technology Committee’s report on the Investigatory Powers Bill
Jim Killock, Executive Director of Open Rights Group said:
“David Cameron needs to consider whether he wants to be the Conservative PM that jeopardised the success of the UK tech industry.
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04 November, 2015
ORG response to the draft Investigatory Powers Bill
Executive Director of Open Rights Group, Jim Killock said:
“This Bill will redefine the relationship between the state and the public for a generation.
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28 October, 2015
ORG response to David Cameron’s call for web filter law
Jim Killock, Executive Director of Open Rights Group (ORG) said:
“We welcome the opportunity to have a debate about filters, which are flawed, censor websites and do not necessarily keep children safe online.
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27 October, 2015
EU Parliament adopts highly ambiguous Net Neutrality legislation
Unfortunately, MEPs have created large loopholes and left ambiguity in much of the legislation.
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14 October, 2015
IPT ruling on Wilson doctrine opens way for devolved parliament and assemblies to challenge surveillance
In response, Open Rights Group’s Executive Director, Jim Killock said:
“Bulk interception means that everyone’s personal communications data can be collected.
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06 October, 2015
Open Rights Group welcomes CJEU Safe Harbor ruling
Executive Director, Jim Killock said:
“In the face of the Snowden revelations, it is clear that Safe Harbor is not worth the paper its written on.
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17 September, 2015
Dropping Privacy and Civil Liberties Board highlights need for judicial authorisation
Policy Director, Javier Ruiz said:
“While Open Rights Group did not feel the proposals for a Privacy and Civil Liberties Board went far enough, its removal highlights the need for more, not less, input from civil society on the reform of surveillance oversight.
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02 September, 2015
HIV clinic data breach
“Incidents like this are all too common and harmful.
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06 August, 2015
10 years for copyright infringement should be limited to criminals causing serious harm
ORG agrees with the IPO that the online environment should not confer less protection for copyright holders.
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30 July, 2015
David Cameron calls to shut down porn sites without age-restricted controls
Executive Director, Jim Killock said:
“While the government can shut down UK-based sites, these are few in number and represent a tiny proportion of the global porn industry.
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17 July, 2015
High Court rules that DRIPA is unlawful
ORG intervened in the successful judicial review brought by David Davis MP and Tom Watson MP, who were represented by Liberty.
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14 July, 2015
ORG response to the RUSI review
ORG’s Executive Director Jim Killock said:
“We’re unsurprised that RUSI has condoned mass surveillance, which now seems to be termed ‘bulk collection’ to disguise the real and disturbing practices of blanket collection, trawling and analysing that create a regime of mass surveillance.
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16 April, 2015
Open Rights Group files amicus brief in Hungarian data retention case
Open Rights Group, Privacy International and a group of internationally acknowledged experts have filed amicus curiae briefs with the Hungarian Constitutional Court.
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12 March, 2015
Open Rights Group response to ISC Privacy and Security report
Open Rights Group has responded to the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report into Security and Privacy.
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19 February, 2015
Swinney fails to address privacy concerns over Scottish NHS database proposals
Deputy First Minister John Swinney today failed to address the concerns of privacy campaigners over Scottish government proposals to expand Scotland’s NHS Central Register.
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11 February, 2015
NHS database proposals could pave way to ID register in Scotland
Government proposals to expand the National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) will pave the way for a national ID register in Scotland.
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06 February, 2015
ORG’s response to IPT ruling that UK intelligence sharing was unlawful
Today the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) found that the secret intelligence sharing between the UK and the US were unlawful prior to December 2014 because the policies governing these arrangements were secret.
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13 January, 2015
ORG responds to Cameron’s call for legal powers to break encryption
Open Rights Group has called on the Prime Minister to provide more details about his plans to give the security services the legal powers to break encrypted communications.
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08 December, 2014
Press release: Permission granted for judicial review of DRIPA
A judicial review of the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act (DRIPA) has been granted permission by Mr Justice Lewis in the High Court today.
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26 November, 2014
Open Rights Group response to the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill
Executive Director, Jim Killock said:
“Despite the Court of Justice of the European Union ruling that blanket data retention interferes with our right to privacy, the government is expanding the amount of personal information that companies are forced to keep.
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25 November, 2014
ISC report into Lee Rigby’s murder is misleading
Reacting to today’s ISC report, the Open Rights Group said that their report into Lee Rigby’s murder is misleading.
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20 November, 2014
Tech companies must come clean about their role in enabling blanket surveillance
Open Rights Group has responded to a report by Channel 4 News that Cable & Wireless allowed GCHQ to scoop up the private communications of millions of people around the world.
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16 November, 2014
ORG calls for political parties to state their position on surveillance
At their annual conference, ORGCon14, Open Rights Group (ORG) have called on politicians to address surveillance by the police and security services in their manifestos for May’s General Election.
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14 November, 2014
ORG response to extremist sites being blocked by ISP web filters
Open Rights Group has responded to the announcement that ISPs will add extremist websites to filters designed to protect children from seeing adult content.
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06 November, 2014
Open Rights Group: RIPA not fit for purpose
Further evidence that the Regulatory of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) is being used to violate the rights of UK citizens was exposed today.
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03 November, 2014
Open Rights Group response to GCHQ Director’s claim that tech companies are aiding terrorists
Open Rights Group has responded to an FT comment piece by the Director of GCHQ, Robert Hannigan, in which he calls for “greater co-operation from technology companies’, who are in his words, “the command and control networks of choice” for terrorists.
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17 October, 2014
Judgment recognises Open Rights Group’s intervention in landmark website blocking case
Open Rights Group’s (ORG) intervention had a significant impact on a landmark case about internet trade mark infringement that was handed down today by the High Court in London.
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07 October, 2014
ORG responds to calls by National Crime Agency for greater surveillance powers
Executive Director Jim Killock said:
‘Open Rights Group welcomes any public debate about the surveillance of our personal communications by the police and intelligence services but so far the government seems intent on simply increasing its powers to allow unchecked whole population profiling.
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02 October, 2014
ORG responds to Conservative’s UK Bill of Rights proposal
Open Rights Group has responded to proposals for a UK Bill of Rights, published today by lawyer and journalist David Allen Green on his blog here:http://jackofkent.
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01 October, 2014
Copyright exceptions for parody and format shifting become law
After nine years of campaigning, Open Rights Group is delighted that copyright exceptions for parody and format shifting have passed into law.
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30 September, 2014
ORG responds to calls by Theresa May for new communications data bill
Open Rights Group has responded to the Home Secretary, Theresa May’s call for a revival of the snoopers’ charter to give the police greater powers to access communications data.
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25 September, 2014
Trade mark case could set a precedent for website blocking
For the first time ISPs are being asked to block websites on the basis of alleged trade mark (rather than copyright) infringement.
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07 July, 2014
Threat of legal action not terrorism behind calls for emergency data retention legislation
Open Rights Group (ORG) has responded to government calls for emergency legislation that would require ISPs and telecoms companies to keep records of our phone calls, texts and internet usage as ‘spin’.
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02 July, 2014
ORG’s Blocked project finds almost 1 in 5 sites are blocked by filters
Open Rights Group Blocked project finds almost 1 in 5 websites tested are blocked by web filters
High level of variation between ISPs suggest filters are not consistent in protecting children
Overblocking is affecting bloggers, businesses and web users
A Porsche broker, a political blogger and a mum hoping to read an article about post pregnancy care are among those that have been affected by filters designed to protect young people from adult content.
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23 June, 2014
Customers demand action from ISPs over data retention
As a result of an Open Rights Group campaign, over 1300 customers have written to their internet service providers (ISPs) to ask why they are still retaining their web, email, SMS and phone data.
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07 June, 2014
Stephen Fry calls spying on citizens ‘squalid and rancid’ at Don’t Spy on Us Day of Action in London
The performer Stephen Fry condemned the government’s failure to act over the Snowden revelations at the start of the Don’t Spy on Us Day of Action in London today.
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07 June, 2014
Stephen Fry calls spying on citizens ‘squalid and rancid’ at Don’t Spy on Us Day of Action in London
The performer Stephen Fry condemned the government’s failure to act over the Snowden revelations at the start of the Don’t Spy on Us Day of Action in London today.
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07 June, 2014
Stephen Fry calls spying on citizens ‘squalid and rancid’ at Don’t Spy on Us Day of Action in London
The performer Stephen Fry condemned the government’s failure to act over the Snowden revelations at the start of the Don’t Spy on Us Day of Action in London today.
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07 June, 2014
Stephen Fry calls spying on citizens ‘squalid and rancid’ at Don’t Spy on Us Day of Action in London
The performer Stephen Fry condemned the government’s failure to act over the Snowden revelations at the start of the Don’t Spy on Us Day of Action in London today.
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07 June, 2014
Stephen Fry calls spying on citizens ‘squalid and rancid’ at Don’t Spy on Us Day of Action in London
The performer Stephen Fry condemned the government’s failure to act over the Snowden revelations at the start of the Don’t Spy on Us Day of Action in London today.
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15 May, 2014
European day of action: Citizens call on MEPs to protect digital rights
Today, a coalition of 36 civil rights organisations invites European citizens to take part in a day of action to make sure that the next European Parliament defends digital civil and human rights.
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14 May, 2014
Over 300,000 people sign petitions saying no to tax data sell off
Open Rights Group, 38 Degrees and SumofUs handed in petitions to HMRC today, calling for an end to plans to sell access to taxpayers’ personal data.
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13 May, 2014
ECJ Google Spain ruling raises concerns for online free speech
Open Rights Group believes that today’s ruling by the European Court of Justice could pose a threat to free speech online.
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08 May, 2014
Is iPod tax on cards as government delays right to copy your music?
The Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments (JCSI) approved three of five Statutory Instruments (SI) relating to copyright law but is still considering a further two: exceptions for parody and for personal copying (also known as format shifting).
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06 May, 2014
Internet Day Against DRM: Limit the use of DRM technologies
On International Day Against DRM, the Open Rights Group is calling for limits on the use of DRM technologies, which restrict the ways that we access and control digital content.
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08 April, 2014
European Court of Justice finds Data Retention Directive invalid
Open Rights Group welcomed today’s declaration by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that the Data Retention Directive is invalid.
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03 April, 2014
European Parliament votes to protect free and fair internet
The European Parliament took a major step towards enshrining net neutrality in law today, when the EU Parliament voted yes to a new Regulation for a Telecommunications Single Market.
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28 March, 2014
Victory for digital rights as UK Government publishes changes to copyright law
The UK’s out-of-date copyright law came closer to being fit for purpose yesterday, when the Government published regulations for copyright exceptions.
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