Fighting words: Defamation law in England, explained
Defamation laws - to include slander and libel - seek to protect someone's personal reputation and character from destructive attacks. However, these laws must do so without sacrificing freedom of thought and the benefit of public discussion. How is this managed under English law?
Do Neo-Nazis have a right to privacy?
Earlier this month, a leftist art collective in Germany called the Centre for Political Beauty (Zentrum für Politische Schönheit or "ZPS") launched a website to name and shame neo-Nazis. At soko-chemnitz.de, people were invited to examine photographs taken during this summer's violent anti-immigration protests in Chemnitz, and in
NDAs and the Sound of Silence
“When truth is replaced by silence, the silence is a lie.” ― Yevgeny Yevtushenko The #MeToo movement has brought Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) as a way to silence allegations of sexual harassment into the public debate. In light of controversies surrounding Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein and now - Sir Philip
Sir Cliff Richards v BBC: is publicity the soul of justice?
You don’t have to be a privacy or media lawyer to have heard of the sex abuse allegations levied against celebrities in the entertainment industry over the last few years. The investigations concerning Sir Cliff Richard, a famous British musician, included a widely-televised raid on his
Google prepares for the first “Right to Be Forgotten” trials in England
All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret. ― Gabriel García MárquezThe European Union's Court of Justice decision in Google Spain v Agencia Española de Protección de Datos, Mario Costeja González ("Google Spain") confirmed the “right to be forgotten” for European citizens. This right is further enshrined in the upcoming General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Accordingly, European data protection law grants individuals a qualified right to have personal data relating to them removed from search engines. This right is however considered by some to be a uniquely European phenomena, which resulted from one unusual CJEU judgement. Now, two upcoming cases against Google will be the first time in which the "right to be forgotten" will be considered by the English Courts. Two unnamed claimants, known only as NT1 and NT2, are bringing a companion case against Google to enforce their right to be forgotten. (NT1 v Google and NT2 v Google, [2018] EWHC 67 (QB) (Rev 3))