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31 October 2019 / Malcolm Dowden , Moga Moodley
Issue: 7862 / Categories: Opinion , Technology , Media , Data protection
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Protecting the election ‘Persuadables’

With a general election approaching, taking back control of your browser data is essential, say Moga Moodley & Malcolm Dowden

With a 12 December UK general election now in the diary there is a pressing need to consider the risk of electoral influence or manipulation through the harvesting of personal data, highlighted by the 2016 Facebook/Cambridge Analytica (CA) scandal. Political will to avoid such risks might be strengthened by legal exposure stemming from a recent Court of Appeal decision encouraging class actions for breaches of personal data protection which may stem from large-scale profiling activities ((Lloyd v Google LLC [2019] EWCA Civ 1599, [2019] All ER (D) 09 (Oct).

Browser data

Web browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer collect and analyse browser data to determine users’: location; websites visited; how much time is spent on those websites; and what searches are made, and how frequently.

Browser data may be accumulated and analysed to build user profiles, identifying behaviour patterns and preferences along with detailed

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

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From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

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Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

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Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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