Hot off the press: the Government has announced that John Edwards, currently New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner, is its preferred candidate to take over from Elizabeth Denham as Information Commissioner later on this year – see here. Mr Edwards will now appear before MPs on the DCMS select committee for pre-appointment scrutiny on 9 September. Following the scrutiny process, a recommendation will be made to the Queen by the Secretary of State for DCMS, acting through the Prime Minister. Elizabeth Denham has issued a statement in which she warmly supports Mr Edwards appointment, saying he ‘would bring extraordinary breadth, leadership and credibility to this role’ – see here.

Anya Proops QC

Data privacy class actions are currently big business in the UK. For those of you who are interested in how the UK position compares with the position within the EU, you might want to attend this British Institute of International and Comparative Law webinar on 8 June at 5pm: Damages Claims for Mass Data Breaches: UK and European Perspectives (biicl.org) . Note that 11KBW’s information law conference later this month includes a webinar comparing the UK and US positions.

Anya Proops QC

The Court of Appeal has today granted permission to appeal in the case of Newman v Southampton CC (now M(a child)), which concerns the important question of the extent to which journalists can gain access to court records in private family law proceedings. The case is discussed in more detail in Michael White’s post, which you can find here. Continue reading →

Having blogged earlier today about a very happy outcome in Morrisons, I now want to share with you some important news concerning another large-scale privacy action, namely Atkinson v Equifax Ltd. Continue reading →

As we all adjust to the strange new reality ushered in by the arrival of Covid-19, it is reassuring to see that the wheels of the justice system continue to turn, and at the highest levels. Today the Supreme Court has handed down its judgment in one of the most watched data protection and employment cases of recent years: Various Claimants v Morrisons. The judgment is a real watershed moment, and one that will doubtless bring considerable relief to employer data controllers across the land.

Continue reading →

The decision, which is hardly surprising, will doubtless be welcomed by all controllers. The hearing before the Supreme Court is not expected until the end of 2020, early 2021. Further updates will of course be posted on Panopticon in due course!

Anya Proops QC