The Indian legal community is currently on tenterhooks awaiting judgment from the Supreme Court about the compatibility of the Aadhaar system with the right to privacy, which is apparently due...
Pihl v Sweden: the ECtHR’s Unhelpful Preoccupation with Hate Speech
On 9 March 2017, the Third Section of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) declared inadmissible a complaint by the applicant, Mr Pihl, that his right to respect for...
Re-victimizing Victims of Sexual Assault: UK Child Benefit Laws
In the last few years, the UK has been relentlessly pursuing austerity measures and drastically reducing welfare expenditure. Today, as part of this trend, the government has restricted access to...
The Law Commission’s Consultation on the Protection of Official Data
The recent publication of the Law Commission’s consultation paper The Protection of Official Data has generated a great deal of attention. I welcome the opportunity to provide an overview of...
What’s in a name? The criminal implications of pleasantries
In September a new batch of research assistants started at the Law Commission in London. Having collected them from reception, I brought them over to meet the rest of the...
Aadhaar’s Bearing on India’s Public Distribution System and the Right to Food
Since 1951 India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) has operated as a safety net for millions of poor households. The System provides fixed quantities of food grains at affordable prices. In...
Drone Journalism and Regulatory Challenges in India
Drones can be used for journalism, alongside many other civilian purposes. Ethical considerations such as safety and privacy are likely to arise in the context of drone journalism. This raises...
PJS v News Group Newspapers: Threesomes! Privacy! Social Media!
On 19 May 2016, the UK Supreme Court handed down judgment in PJS v News Group Newspapers Limited. This decision concerned the proposed publication of details concerning the extramarital activities...
The Czech Constitutional Court Strikes Down a Ban on Individual Adoption by Registered Partners
Last week, the Czech Constitutional Court (CCC) invalidated a statutory provision prohibiting adoption by people living in a registered partnership (Pl. ÚS 7/15). The case was decided by a plenary...
Steinfeld v Secretary of State for Education: Court of Appeal has Granted Leave to Appeal
It has recently been announced that the challenge to the prohibition on opposite sex couples entering into civil partnerships in England and Wales is due to be heard by the...
Gypsies by Birth not by Definition
On 31st August 2015 the Government introduced an amendment to the to Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS). This will redefine who can be regarded as a Gypsy or Traveller...
A New Regime for Data Protection in Europe
Almost four years after its initial proposal in January 2012, the finalised text of the General Data Protection Regulation (the Regulation) was agreed in December 2015. It is anticipated to...