Draft Communication Bill Announcements – What Do They Mean?

On Wednesday the 27th of May the Queen’s Speech officially welcomed the Conservative party into power and outlined to the Houses of Parliament, as well as the UK as a whole, exactly what her government intends to do over the next term. For the first time in its history, the Queen’s Speech referred to ‘cyber-security’ and how data collection rules will be amended by David Cameron to modernise how we deal with communications data. Read more

The Security Issues that Face Local Authorities and Councils

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is an independent UK authority that oversees information rights in the public domain. They encourage public bodies to be more open and promote data privacy for individuals. For the organisations who are regulated by the ICO this means obligations that they must comply with. For the public it means access to their personal data and the ability to raise concerns when they believe that an organisation has failed to adhere to legislation. Read more

FCA Mobile Recording – Are Your Calls Protected?

In 2009 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) unveiled legislation that required all calls between FCA regulated businesses and their clients to be recorded and stored. The idea was to securely collect conversation data, to ensure that market abuse was reduced and those who were responsible for mistreatment were punished. Mobile conversations were included in this, with calls, texts, instant messenger, social media and webmail all required to be monitored. Although an FCA regulation, mobile communication recording has very rarely been enforced, as the technology available up until now has been so poor. Thankfully this has changed. Read more

Smart Building

Smart Building Security – Protection for ‘The Internet of Things’

‘The Internet of Things’ is not a new phenomenon. For decades people have been attaching sensors to networked intelligence systems in an attempt to create interconnected technology. ‘The Internet of Things’ in simple terms is exactly this; the act of connecting devices together over the internet and allowing them to talk to one another, communicate with the user and utilise digital applications. Efficient, intelligent and innovative, the possibilities for smart devices are extensive, but with that development comes a greater need for protection. Read more