We’ve had a few emails to let us know that the RSS feed was broken; we hope that we’ve now fixed the problem. And at the same time we’ve introduced an option to subscribe to the blog by email – you should be able to see this at the left-hand side of the page.
Tag: About Panopticon
Links and resources
On the left hand side of this page you will see a list of links. The first link is to a collection of information law resources on 11KBW’s main website. There are conference papers and other materials written by members of chambers; in particular there is an 80 page practical guide to the Environmental Information Regulations, written by Anya Proops. In discussions of FOI, we find that the EIR tend to be unduly neglected; Anya’s guide is a contribution to redressing the balance.
You will also find links to online resources maintained by a wide range of organisations and individuals: Government departments, regulators (both in the UK and overseas), academic institutions, legal practitioners, campaigners and bloggers. If you think that there is anything that we should add, please email me on Timothy.Pitt-Payne@11kbw.com . Needless to say, we don’t take responsibility for the information or opinions posted on any of these external sites.
Many thanks to all those who have provided feedback and encouragement following our launch last week. Particular thanks to Delia Venables for the speed with which she added us to her comprehensive listing of online legal resources in the UK and Ireland.
Welcome to Panopticon
Welcome to “Panopticon”, a new blog about Information Law maintained by members of 11KBW’s Information Law Practice Group. We opened our doors to the public on 18th March (you will see some earlier posts, below, created while the blog was still under development).
Information law is about the right to know, and the right to keep private – and it is also about the ever-shifting boundary between those rights. It encompasses areas such as data protection, freedom of information, the protection of private information under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, breach of confidence, and the regulation of surveillance. It is a fascinating and fast-moving area of the law, and is directly relevant to contemporary debates about open government, the “database state” and the “surveillance society”. For a more detailed explanation, click on the link at the top of the page (“What is Information Law?”).
A word about our title. The Panopticon was Jeremy Bentham’s proposed new model prison, in which constant surveillance would be a tool for moral regeneration (see here for details and illustrations). It has become an enduring metaphor in debates about the benefits and the dangers of systematic information-gathering. The title has a secondary meaning: this site is our own “Panopticon”, in which we try to keep an overview of developments in this area and to share them with our readers.
We hope you will find the blog interesting and informative. You may also be interested to explore 11KBW’s main website: this includes a wide range of conference papers and other materials about information law.
We don’t have a facility to post comments on individual posts, but please feel free to provide feedback by emailing Claire Halas: Claire.Halas@11kbw.com