Category: Legislation

Providing IT support and solution to small and medium businesses. Servicing Edinburgh, Livingston, Fife and surrounding areas. Responsive, Flexible, Professional and friendly local support.

Facebook Ads That Target Your Beliefs

In a new trial involving a small number of users in the UK, Facebook has said that it will be testing the targeting of adverts based on users’ specific political and religious beliefs. Why? According to Facebook, the trial will help the social media platform to process and manage its customer data, so that it…
Read more

One Hour To Take Down Illegal Content

New measures by the EU will mean that technology companies will have as little as just one hour to take down illegal and terror content, or face penalties under new legislation. Why Only One Hour? The new measure, which has reportedly been met with dismay by the big tech companies such as Google and Facebook…
Read more

Blockchain Used To Reduce Child Labour

Blockchain Used To Reduce Child Labour Blockchain, the same technology that powers the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, is being tested in a pilot project between car-maker BMW and start-up Circulor with a view to eliminating battery minerals produced using child labour. What Is Blockchain? Blockchain is an incorruptible peer-to-peer network (a kind of ledger) that allows multiple…
Read more

Fight For DPOs With Introduction of GDPR

Technology and employment commentators are predicting that with the already high demand for skilled and talented Data Protection Officers (DPOs), the introduction of GDPR may see businesses having to compete to recruit the right one. What’s A Data Protection Officer? A DPO’s role is essentially that of looking after any legal and ethical issues related…
Read more

Google Acted On Less Than Half Of Requests To Remove URLs

Google’s latest Transparency Report reveals that of the 2.4 million requests made since 2014 to remove certain URLs from its search results, Google has only complied with less than half. Removal Requests The removal requests relate to a ruling by the European Union’s Court of Justice in May 2014 which said that Google and other…
Read more

A Quarter Of Councils Have Been Hacked

A freedom of information request by privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch has revealed the shocking statistic that a quarter of all UK councils have had their IT systems breached in the past five years. 37 Attempted Cyber Attacks Every Minute The ‘Cyber Attacks In Local Authorities’ report from Big Brother Watch shows that local…
Read more

GDPR Extortion Prediction

A report by Security Company Trend Micro has predicted that, as cyber-criminals are now focusing more on maximising financial return, the introduction of GDPR this year could give them potentially lucrative extortion opportunities. How? The point that this report is making is that with the prospect of massive fines under GDPR e.g. fines up to…
Read more

Belgium Says No To Facebook Tracking Code

A court in Belgium has told Facebook to stop using tracking code to follow and record internet use by people surfing in Belgium, until it complies with the country’s own privacy laws. What’s The Problem? According to Belgium’s privacy watchdog, the Belgian Commission for the Protection of Privacy (CPP), Facebook placed tracking code in the…
Read more

Postcards To Combat Election Interference

Following disclosures of how Facebook was used by advertisers who may have been seeking to influence the US election result, Facebook has suggested that in future in the US, those backing candidates with advertising campaigns will receive a ‘snail mail’ postcard sent by Facebook with a verification code. Ads Mentioning A Candidate The measure is…
Read more

Facebook In Authentication Spamming Row

Facebook is facing criticism for allegedly using sign-ups to 2 factor authentication as an opportunity to send spam SMS notifications. What 2FA? Facebook has been allowing users to sign up for SMS-based two-factor authentication to mitigate the risk of phishing attempts and to help protect people from having their accounts compromised. Spam Too Unfortunately, in…
Read more