WIKIORG policy update/2018-w23
This is ORG's Policy Update for the week beginning 04/05/2018.
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ORG’s work
Campaigns Manager Mike Morel spoke on a panel about the challenges of campaigning for digital privacy at a conference about digital rights activism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Cybersecurity Research Centre.
Parliament
Other National developments
Memes could be banned under new EU copyright law
If a new copyright EU law is implemented, internet memes will be brought to an end. The EU Copyright Directive, if implemented following the vote of MPs in Parliament, will lead to all internet memes being banned across the web. Many campaigners against Article 13 have stressed how this new directive will give more power to big companies whilst further infringing on privacy.
NHS Digital promises to secure data in the cloud
NHS Digital, the organisation which is in charge of the health services digital transformation.
Beforehand, cloud providers would approach trusts to offer their services to only get pushed aside, with many believing NHS Digital banned the use of cloud services for the public. NHS Digital would then have to clarify to vendors on a 1-1 basis, when approached with complaints, that there was no clear and explicit ban on the use of cloud.
It was because there was a lack of clarity, NHS Digital commissioned a working group on the safe use of cloud with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in 2016, with policy at the time stating that any data stored overseas couldn't contain sensitive information. The group was set up to investigate how the policy could be changed to make use of cloud benefits.
However, many are still concerned that there is a lack of clarity, ensuring trusts do not become locked-in to one provider, and retaining ownership of public data, are dealt with. Open Rights Director Javier Ruiz Diaz believes that the NHS will become under attack particularly with rights to privacy and how third party organisations, such as large tech companies, may have access to sensitive patient data once it's put into the cloud.
Media coverage
See ORG Press Coverage for full details.
2018-06-03- Torrent Freak- Pirate Site Blocks are “Opaque and Poorly Administered” Author: Ernesto Summary: The Open Rights Group has published a thorough overview of which sites are blocked by court orders in the UK. ORG : “The group aims to provide more insight into the scope of the blockades and has discovered that they are poorly administered. ORG calls upon ISPs to clean up their lists and hopes the courts will enable more transparency.” People who are interested in the findings can take a look at the blocked site reports on BLOCKED at ORG’s website: https://www.blocked.org.uk Topics: Data protection
2018-06-04-Gizmodo - Open Rights Group Claims Almost 40% of Sites are Blocked in Error by the UK Author: Tom Pritchard Summary: The Open Rights Group has taken to monitoring the list of sites blocked by ISPs, or at least as much as it can manage, and found that 37 per cent of sites are blocked in error. Topics: Data protection
2018-06-07-Cloud Pro- NHS Digital 'dumped data storage responsibility' on hospitals
Author: Keumars Afifi-Sabet Summary: Javier Ruiz Diaz, a director at Open Rights Group explained how one of the biggest concerns centres on privacy, and whether third-party organisations, such as large tech companies, may have access to sensitive patient data once it's put into the cloud. Topics: Data protection Public Cloud
2018-06-10-Metro - [The EU could be about to ban memes and ‘destroy the internet’ https://metro.co.uk/2018/06/08/eu-ban-memes-kill-internet-7615802/?ito=cbshare]
Author: Jasper Hamill
Summary: Jim Killock, executive director of the UK’s Open Rights Group, told the BBC: ‘Article 13 will create a ‘Robo-copyright’ regime, where machines zap anything they identify as breaking copyright rules, despite legal bans on laws that require ‘general monitoring’ of users to protect their privacy. Topics: Data protection EU Article13