25 January 2024
Criminal offences in the Online Safety Act 2023
The Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act) has the potential to dramatically change the online safety landscape in the UK, although it remains to be seen how the legislation fares in delivering the government’s manifesto commitment “to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online while defending free expression”.
31 January 2023
The Online Safety Bill: What do the latest updates mean for companies and senior managers?
The Online Safety Bill hit the headlines last week, following its third and final reading in the House of Commons on 17 January 2023. Since its early stages the Bill has provoked an ongoing debate between social media safety groups, who call for the law to do more to protect children, and civil liberties campaigners, who argue that the proposed legislation impinges on the freedom of speech. The latest proposed amendment would make senior managers criminally liable for platforms’ persistent failure to protect children online. Magda Zima considers the potentially wide-ranging impact of this amendment on both companies and senior individuals.
9 June 2022
The metaverse: virtual offences, real world penalties?
Kingsley Napley was recently published in Solicitors Journal discussing The metaverse: virtual offences and real world penalties.
23 May 2022
Overseas Production Orders: Companies should prepare for new powers to gather electronic data
The Crime (Overseas Production Orders) Act 2019 (COPOA) was enacted three years ago to give law enforcement agencies the power to directly obtain electronic data from service providers based outside the UK for the purpose of preventing, detecting and investigating serious crimes through the use of Overseas Production Orders (OPOs).
31 July 2020
The new cryptoasset promotions consultation: widening the perimeter of FCA regulation
Research recently undertaken by the FCA has found that 5.35% of the UK population hold (or have previously held) cryptoassets where in 2019 this figure was 3%. For several years now the Government, the Bank of England and the FCA have been consulting on and considering how best to regulate this burgeoning market.
