Despite the holiday period, it is consultation season for IT lawyers. Current opportunities to lobby or calls for input relate to:
the EU’s draft revision of the ‘Television Without Frontiers Directive’ which is to be extended to cover audio-visual media services (AVMS);
the Government Code under Part III of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, which covers the power to order data to be decrypted and, in certain circumstances, demand a copy of the relevant encryption key
the discussion document on the revisions to the GNU General Public License
the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee inquiry into personal Internet security.
For more on the EU Directive, click here. For an article about Part III of RIPA, click here or to visit the consultation site, click here. For news on the GNU Public License, click here.
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee are looking for input on the following matters:
What is the nature of the security threat to private individuals and what is the scale of the problem?
How well do the public understand the nature of the threat they face?
What can be done to provide greater personal internet security? How much does this depend on software and hardware manufacturers?
Is the regulatory framework for Internet services adequate?
How well equipped is Government to combat cyber crime? Is the legislative framework in
The call for evidence is at http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/lords_s_t_select/internet.cfm and the deadline for submissions is 23 October.
