Privacy

Has your personal information been published online without your permission?

It can be extremely upsetting to discover that your personal information has been published online without your permission.

Perhaps your bank details or other financial details are now visible for all to see or even your medical information or details of your address. It could be that a photograph of you or your child or of your home has been posted on social media. Or perhaps some drone footage of your house.

Whatever it is, the chances are that you may not be happy having this information available to the general public. However, you do not have to just put up with the situation.

NetRights can take urgent steps, via legal proceedings if necessary, to seek removal of your personal information from the internet and/or links to it and further postings. In most cases successful results can be achieved by sending legal letters to the person that posted the information or to the social media site, without the need for legal proceedings.

Contact NetRights now on 0207 698 4427 for further information and a free telephone consultation and cost estimate.

Staying safer in video meetings

There has been a dramatic surge in the popularity of remote videoconferencing in recent months. Meetings in person have not been possible due to social distancing requirements so video meetings have been the next best way to keep in touch.  Remote meeting systems have proved to be valuable tools to help companies to operate whilst many staff are working from home. They have also been vital forms of communication for separated families and friends wishing to stay in contact with each other throughout the lockdown

However, use of video conferencing facilities can expose you and your company to risk. There have been cases of unauthorised people hijacking meetings where the platform has not been used securely and there is an increased risk of phishing.

To help protect yourself, your family and your staff, consider the following precautions:

  • Do not leave video meeting settings as “public”.
  • Set screen sharing to “host only”.
  • Send meeting links directly to the people you are inviting to attend the meeting, rather than posting or sharing links on social media that could be available to other or the general public. Only allow signed in users to participate.
  • Meeting hosts should set a password for access to the remote meeting or use the platform to control who is permitted to attend the meeting.
  • Use ‘waiting room’ facilities to screen participants before they are allowed to enter your meeting.
  • ‘Lock’ your meeting after all the expected participants have joined to avoid unwanted intruders.
  • Avoid file sharing with any users that you don’t recognise.
  • Where possible avoid referring to confidential or private information.
  • Make sure that you and your fellow meeting attendees keep video meeting applications fully updated.
  • Ensure that your firm’s information security policies deal with appropriate use of remote working systems.

 

The use of remote video conferencing facilities will always carry a degree of risk due to the nature of the platform, but these considerations should help you to avoid becoming a target.

NetRights is the Social Media, Internet and Media Law department of Parnalls Solicitors. For legal advice regarding breaches of confidential or private information, please contact NetRights at enquiries@netrights.co.uk or telephone 01566 772375.

The contents of this article are for purposes of general awareness only and do not constitute legal or professional advice.

Social Media: The unconscious privacy threat

A patient who is unconscious in an Intensive Care Unit is at their most vulnerable.  Often fighting for their life, the individual is not in control of their body or of their surroundings. In a busy hospital ward, an unconscious patient is seen by many people, from doctors and nurses, catering and cleaning staff to their relatives and friends.

Has your personal information been shared without your permission?

It can be extremely upsetting if your personal information has been shared online or elsewhere without your permission. This could include your financial details or medical information or even details of your address or a photo or video of you. Sometimes a person’s personal information is leaked by mistake by companies or organisations or sometimes it can be shared deliberately by disgruntled individuals such as ex-partners or ex-employees.

The death knell for ‘kiss and tell’?

In a recent privacy claim involving a ‘kiss and tell’ publication, the Claimant was a former lottery winner. He and his then wife won £41 million on the ‘Euromillions’ Lottery in 2012 and their win was surrounded by extensive publicity. In 2016 the Claimant started a sexual relationship with the Defendant whom he met in Tenerife. Their relationship broke down the following year and she wrote and published a book about their relationship entitled “Google Me No Lies”.

Privacy rights and aerial images

Drones or Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAEs) have become increasingly popular and are now being sold online or on the high street in the thousands. However, because most drones have cameras fitted which record and store footage captured from the air, they can also present considerable privacy and data protection risks.

Anonymous pub and restaurant online reviews leave a bad taste

Restaurants and pubs across Cornwall are complaining about a series of negative reviews on TripAdvisor left by an anonymous reviewer. These reviews criticise the food and drink of the establishments and make unwelcome observations about the staff.  Unpleasant and anonymous social media posts have become an undesirable reality of today’s social media world.  Derogatory internet reviews can damage personal and business reputations and cause loss of customers and profits.  But is there anything that the restaurateurs and publicans can do about negative online reviews?