Technology

Firefox Quantum Browser’s ‘Monitor 2.0’ Will Warn You About Security Breaches

Posted on by Andy Miller

Mozilla’s latest update for its Firefox Quantum browser includes the Firefox Monitor 2.0 security tool, which can tell you whether a site you’re visiting has suffered a security breach in the last 12 months and whether your details have been leaked online.

Developed in Partnership with HIBP

Back in June, the Mozilla blog detailed how it was testing the Firefox Monitor tool which was being developed in partnership with HaveIBeenPwned.com (HIBP), a service run by Troy Hunt, described by Mozilla as “one of the most renowned and respected security experts and bloggers in the world”.  At the time of testing, it was announced that Monitor, through its HIBP / Firefox partnership, would be able to check a user’s email address against the HIBP database in a private-by-design way.  Mozilla said that visitors to the Firefox Monitor website would be able to check (by entering an email address) to see if their accounts were included in any known data breaches, with details on sites and other sources of breaches and the types of personal data exposed in each breach. It was also announced that the Firefox site would offer recommendations on what to do in the case of a data breach, and how to help the user to secure their accounts.

Rolled Out

The Monitor 2.0 security tool that’s just been rolled out in the latest Firefox Quantum update can tell you if your details have been leaked online (if you visit monitor.firefox.com), provide a desktop notification /alert when you visit a website that’s been compromised in the last 12 months, and give extra security details such as how many accounts were affected by a breach and what happened in the breach.

You Can Turn Notifications Off

Mozilla has been quick to point out that the Monitor tool has been designed to help but not annoy users and as such, if you’ve already been told about the potential security issues, you can navigate back without being told again and you can disable the notifications altogether with a just few clicks, if you’d prefer not to see them.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Google Chrome dominates the browser market, but there is still a lot of competition among those fighting it out with a less than 10% share of the market – Apple’s Safari, Firefox, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer & Edge.  Adding this tool, that’s linked to a renowned security expert, to the Firefox browser could add some real value at a time when the news is full of major security breaches, but most of us may not know how to check whether our details have been stolen, and what to do next.

Businesses always need to be very security-conscious, particularly since the introduction of GDPR, and being able to see notifications about pages that have been breached may be another way that business users can help to protect themselves.

The tips and personal stories of those who have been affected by a data breach highlighted on the Firefox website for Quantum business users may also help raise awareness about online privacy and could help provide prompts and ideas to help keep improving data protection and cyber resilience in businesses.

Which? Survey Reveals Best & Worst Online Retailers

Posted on by Andy Miller

The results of a new survey by consumer watchdog ‘Which?’ has revealed the UK’s best and worst online retailers, according to the experiences of 10,000 Which? members over 6 months.

Homebase, Red Face…In a Bad Place

Unfortunately for Homebase, which is currently undergoing a restructuring that will involve 42 store closures, their online store was ranked lowest with a score of 55%.  The low score was mainly due to users saying that navigation was difficult and that the online shop didn’t always provide up-to-date information.

Near The Bottom

Other companies just ahead of Homebase, but still near the bottom of the online retail pile according to the survey were Sports Direct and Dorothy Perkins with 61%, DIY retail giant B&Q with 62%, WHSmith.co.uk with 63%, and JDSports.co.uk also with 63%.

Liz Earle Top

At the other end of the scale, Liz Earle’s online store was voted top with an impressive 94% satisfaction rating, closely followed by RicherSounds.com, Rohan.co.uk, SeasaltCornwall.co.uk, and WexPhotoVideo.com, all with 93%.

Best Big Retailers

The best of the big retailers to make it into the top 10 online favourites were JohnLewis.com in sixth place with a 90% satisfaction score and Dyson.co.uk just behind in seventh place with 89%.

The full tables of best and worst retailers can only be viewed online at the Which? website by Which? members, although many media outlets have published the key elements of the results.

Factors

The factors that the numerous online shops were rated on were based on the experience of Which? members as regards things like ease of navigation and other experiences of the online shop itself such as price, product range, deliveries, quality and the returns process.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

ONS figures show that online sales accounted for 17.4% of all retailing in the first quarter of this year, and as such it is a vital component in modern retail success stories. Online shopping offers consumers convenience, speed, a wider choice of products than the physical store, and often better prices, particularly when you factor in the money saved by not paying for travel to the store. There is also a general perception that goods are cheaper online, even if that’s not always the case.  With Black Friday and Christmas shopping online ahead, these results are significant for both the retailers and the consumers. For retailers that had low scores, the results (not the publicity surrounding the results) may even be a good thing in helping them to make changes to their online stores that could increase sales.

The results and customer satisfaction tables from this survey serve to illustrate that being able to offer personal service, quality items, being able to give customers exactly what they want, and offering a good delivery service are very important, and these are areas where smaller, specialised retailers can often win.

Apple Offers Free Repairs For iPhone X and MacBook Problems

Posted on by Andy Miller

Apple Inc. is reported to be offering free repairs / replacements for problems relating to screen touch issues on the iPhone X and data loss and storage drive failures in 13-inch MacBook Pro computers.

iPhone X Problems

The offer of free fixes in the iPhone X handset, which was only released last November and was superseded by the iPhone XS (and XR) in September, relate to user complaints that that their phones were making unprompted, random clicking noises, or simply stopped responding. Apple has put the problems of intermittently not responding / reacting when it wasn’t touched down to problems with a display module component on the £999 iPhone X handset.  As such, Apple has said that customers are entitled to a free screen replacement, and that any customers who have already paid for the replacement can have refund.

MacBook Pro Problems

In the case of 13-inch MacBook Pro computers sold between June 2017 and June 2018, Apple has acknowledged that there was a problem with a limited number of 128GB and 256GB solid-state drives which may have led to data loss and failure of those storage drives.  Apple has said on its website that Apple or an Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) will service any affected drives, free of charge, that Apple recommends having any affected drives serviced as soon as possible, and that Apple will send an email to customers who registered their device with the company.   More information about this issue can be found here: https://www.apple.com/support/13-inch-macbook-pro-solid-state-drive-service-program/

Keyboard Replacements Back In June

It was only back in June this year that Apple offered free repairs or replacements for the butterfly keyboard on its MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops after some users complained about letters or characters repeating unexpectedly, letters or characters not appearing, and keys feeling ‘sticky’ or not responding in a consistent manner.

Battery Woes

You may also remember the publicity Back in 2017 when Apple apologised for intentionally slowing down older iPhones (Phone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE and iPhone 7 models), perhaps with a view to encouraging upgrades.  Also, Apple made the news earlier this year when leaking vapours from damaged iPad batteries relating to small-scale problems with the iPhone battery replacement programme caused some stores to be temporarily evacuated.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Apple’s iPhone X only lasted a year, even though it was replaced by a handset that wasn’t too different from it (on the surface). At least only a sample of one-year’s-worth of buyers are likely to need the replacement / repair service.  It’s good that Apple is offering the repair / replacement for what is a relatively expensive product for many people, and this may go some way to maintaining generally positive perceptions of (and trust in) Apple and help to re-build trust after the battery-slowing admission.  Similarly, offering to repair the problems with some 13-inch MacBook Pros sends a positive message that will benefit Apple as well as those affected.  The tech giant is also likely to be conscious that it is about to re-introduce old favourites like the iPad Pro and Mac Book with new features and higher prices to match, so eliminating problems and clearing the way with some goodwill and good publicity can’t be a bad thing.

Facial Recognition For Border Control

Posted on by Andy Miller

It has been reported that the UK Home Office will soon be using biometric facial recognition technology in a smartphone app to match a user’s selfie against the image read from a user’s passport chip as a means of self-service identity verification for UK border control.

Dutch & UK Technology

The self-service identity verification ‘enrolment service’ system uses biometric facial recognition technology that was developed in partnership with WorldReach Software, and immigration and border management company, with support from (Dutch) contactless document firm ReadID.

Flashmark By iProov

Flashmark technology, which will be used provide the biometric matching of a user’s selfie against the image read from a user’s passport chip, was developed by a London-based firm called iProov.  The idea behind it is to be able to prove that the person presenting themselves at the border for verification is genuinely the owner of an ID credential and not a photo, screen image, recording or doctored video.

Flashmark works by using a sequence of colours to illuminate a person’s face and the reflected light is analysed to determine whether the real face matches the image being presented.

iProov is a big name in the biometric border-control technology world, having won the 2017 National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Den competition at CyberUK, and winning a contract from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program.  In fact, iProov was the first British and non-US company to be awarded a contract by the DHS to enable travellers to use self-service of document checks at border crossing points.

Smartphone App

The new smartphone-based digital identity verification app from iProov has been developed to help support applications for The EU Settlement Scheme.  This is the mechanism for resident EU citizens, their family members, and the family members of certain British citizens, to apply on a voluntary basis for the UK immigration status which they will need to remain in the UK beyond the end of the planned post-exit implementation period on 31 December 2020.

It is believed that the smartphone app will help the UK Home Office to deliver secure, easy-to-use interactions with individuals.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Accurate and secure, automated biometric / facial recognition and identification / i.d. verification systems have many business applications and are becoming more popular.  For example, iProov’s technology is already used by banks (ING in the Netherlands) and governments around the world, and banks such Barclays already uses voice authentication for telephone banking customers.

Biometrics are already used by the UK government.  For example, in the biometric residence permit (BRP) system, those planning to stay longer than 6 months, or apply to settle in the UK need a biometric permit. This permit includes details such as name, date and place of birth, a scan of the applicant’s fingerprints and a digital photo of the applicant’s face (this is the biometric information), immigration status and conditions, and information about access public funds (benefits and health services).

Many people are already used to using some biometric element as security on their mobile device e.g. facial recognition, fingerprint, or even Samsung’s iris scanner on its Note ‘phablet’. Using a smartphone-based i.d. verification app for border purposes is therefore not such a huge step, and many of us are used to having our faces scanned and matched with our passports anyway as part UK border control’s move towards automation.

Smartphone apps have obvious cost and time savings as well as convenience benefits, plus biometrics provide a reliable and more secure verification system for services than passwords or paper documents. There are, of course, matters of privacy and security to consider, and as well as an obvious ‘big brother’ element, it is right that people should be concerned about where, and how securely their biometric details are stored.

Jail For Car Accident Data Thief

Posted on by Andy Miller

An employee at a vehicle accident repair centre who stole the data of customers and passed it to a company that made nuisance phone calls has been jailed for 6 months following an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Used Former Co-Worker’s Login To Company Computer

The employee of Nationwide Accident Repair Services, Mustafa Kasim, used a former co-workers’ login details to access software on the company computer system (Audatex) that was used to estimate repair costs.  The software also stored the personal data (names and phone numbers) of the owners of the vehicles, and it was the personal data of thousands of customers that Mr Kasim took without the company’s permission, and then passed on to a claims management company that made unsolicited phone calls to those people.

ICO Contacted

Mr Kasim was unmasked as the data thief after the Accident Repair Company noticed that several clients had made complaints that they were being targeted by nuisance calls, and this led to the decision to get the ICO involved.

During the investigation, it was discovered that Mr Kasim continued to take and pass on customer data even after he started a new job at a different car repair organisation which used the same Audatex software system.

First With A Prison Sentence

What makes this case so unusual is that it is the first prosecution to be brought by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under legislation which carries a potential prison sentence.

Computer Misuse Act

Even though the ICO would normally prosecute in this kind of case under the Data Protection Act 1998 or 2018 with penalties of fines rather than prison sentences, in the case of Mr Kasim it was judged that the nature and extent of the criminal behaviour required making a wider range of penalties available to the court.  It was decided, therefore, that s.1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 would be used in the prosecution, and it was the offences under this that resulted in the 6-month prison sentence that Mr Kasim received.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Since preparing for GDPR, many companies have become much more conscious about the value of personal data, the importance of protecting customer data, and the possible penalties and consequences of failing to do so.  In this case, the ICO acknowledged that reputational damage to affected companies whose data is stolen in this way can be immeasurable e.g. Nationwide Accident Repair Services and Audatex. The ICO also noted the anxiety and distress caused the accident repair company’s customers who received nuisance calls.

This case was also a way for the ICO to send a powerful message that obtaining and disclosing personal data without permission is something that will be taken very seriously, and that the ICO will push boundaries and be seen to use any tool at its disposal to protect the data protection rights of individuals. The case also serves as a reminder to businesses that looking at ways to provide the maximum protection of customer data and plug any loopholes is a worthwhile ongoing process, and that threats can come from within as well as from cyber criminals on the outside.

IBM Security Expert Says Prepare For Quantum

Posted on by Andy Miller

As businesses come to realise that they may be required to store some data for decades, encrypted data should be secure well beyond its useful life, and with this in mind, security architect for Benelux at IBM, Christiane Peters, is suggesting that businesses should start preparing now to implement post-quantum data protection.

Post What?

The suggestion is that, in a relatively short time, quantum computers will be commercially available. One threat from this could be that quantum computers in criminal hands could be used to try and crack encrypted business data. For example, in the US, the National Security Agency (NSA) warned back in 2015 that progress in quantum computing was at such a point that organisations should deploy encryption algorithms that can withstand such attacks from quantum computers.

The encryption algorithms that can stand up to attacks from quantum computers are known by several names including post-quantum cryptography / quantum-proof cryptography, and quantum-safe / quantum-resistant cryptographic (usually public-key) algorithms.

What’s The Problem?

Ultimately, with technology advancing at such a rapid rate and with organisations needing to keep some data for long periods of time, there is the risk that even though this sensitive data is stored in secure encrypted formats now, this encryption could be cracked in the not-too-distant future by cyber-criminals with access to commercial supercomputers. Being able to crack encryption could mean encrypted data could no longer be safe even if it is stolen. For example, this could mean that encrypted data lost / stolen in a breach this year could be accessed in the future. Indeed, it is known that some data is being stolen today with this in mind.

How To Prepare Now For Quantum Computer Risk

Christiane Peters is reported as suggesting that ways in which companies could prepare to counter the encryption code-cracking risk posed by the ability of cyber-criminals to use commercially available quantum computers include:

  • Developing / updating crypto policies.
  • Creating an inventory of all systems and applications using cryptography.
  • Classifying data and mapping data flows.
  • Creating an enterprise-specific outlook and timeline for quantum safe crypto.

Developing a Post-Quantum Implementation Strategy

Understanding that encryption is just one way to protect data, combining other capabilities with encryption will help overall cyber resilience over time. For example, companies could also focus on certificate management, mobile device management, application scanning, data loss prevention, security incident response, access control, data classification and digital forensics.

Personal Data Protection Could Pay Off In The Long Term

Christiane Peters, commenting on the findings of a Ponemon Institute study, has also pointed out that, as well as preparing for the security of cryptography in the post-quantum era, businesses that are able to focus on data protection could, by investing in security and encryption now, reap the benefits in the longer term. For example, the report shows that the average cost saving with extensive use of encryption is $13 per data record.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

What the experts appear to be saying is that even though the use of robust, high-assurance encryption technologies may make the decrypting of protected data impossible in the short-term, this may not always be the case. The power of super-computers may mean that, quite soon, criminals may be able to crack encryption codes. In order to ensure that sensitive company data, particularly personal data is safe in the longer term, companies may want to start looking into ways that they can prepare for quantum data protection standards.

Environmentally Responsible Blockchain

Posted on by Andy Miller

At its conference in Barcelona, VMware (tech subsidiary of Dell Technologies and CO2 emission-reducing evangelist) has announced that it has introduced a beta version of blockchain-as-a-service.

Part of VMware Tools

According to VMware, the new blockchain-as-a-service product will be integrated into existing VMware tools and will provide permissioned blockchain for enterprise consortiums, which will be more secure than public blockchains.

What Is Blockchain?

Blockchain, the open-source, free technology behind crypto-currencies like Bitcoin, is an incorruptible peer-to-peer network (a kind of ledger) that allows multiple parties to transfer value in a secure and transparent way. Blockchain’s Co-Founder Nic Carey describes blockchain as being like “a big spreadsheet in the cloud that anyone can use, but no one can erase or modify”.

Why Blockchain-as-a-Service?

The BaaS market is likely to take off in a much bigger way because it offers enterprises the chance to deploy distributed ledgers without the cost or risk of deploying it in-house, and without needing to find in-house developers.

VMware has highlighted a need by financial customers to use a version of blockchain in a commercial environment that is secure and can be audited, and the way in which a blockchain service could be a way for organisations to run distributed ledgers efficiently.

VMware believes that the decentralised trust, enterprise-grade scalability, reliability, security and manageability, with the ability to deploy nodes across multiple cloud environments, (including on-premise) and a single management interface with enterprise monitoring and auditing tools will make its blockchain-as-a-service product attractive to businesses.

Why Environmentally Responsible?

VMware’s CEO, Pat Gelsinger, has described the computational complexity of blockchain as being an “environmental crisis”, and the company is keen to point out that the virtualisation and server consolidation that VMware offers has reduced hundreds of tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Not The Only One

VMware is certainly not the only company in the race to get a blockchain-as-a-service product out to businesses. Microsoft was one of the first software vendors to offer BaaS on its Azure cloud platform as far back as 2015, and tech commentators have noted that Microsoft and many of the other big tech companies, including Amazon and Oracle, are now looking to make the most of the growing blockchain as a service (BaaS) market.

Real-World Blockchain Examples

The benefits of blockchain technology are already being in enjoyed by many companies, and some of the ways that it is currently being deployed include:

  • Walmart’s pilots where the time it takes to trace a food item from shop to farm was reduced, through the use of blockchain, from 7 days to just 2.2 seconds.
  • A pilot project between car-maker BMW and start-up Circulor with a view to eliminating battery minerals produced using child labour. In that project, blockchain is being used to help provide a way to prove that artisanal miners are not using child labour in their cobalt mining activities.
  • Using the data on a blockchain ledger to record the temperature of sensitive medicines being transported from manufacturer to hospital in hot climates. The ‘incorruptible’ aspect of the blockchain data gives a clear record of care and responsibility along the whole supply chain.
  • Using an IBM-based blockchain ledger to record data about wine certification, ownership and storage history. This has helped to combat fraud in the industry and has provided provenance and re-assurance to buyers.
  • Shipping Company Maersk using a blockchain-based system for tracking consignments that addresses visibility and efficiency i.e. digitising a formerly paper-based process that involved multiple interactions.
  • Start-up company ‘Electron’ building a blockchain-based system for sharing information between those involved in supplying energy which could speed up and simplify the supplier switching process. It may also be used for smart grid processes, such as local load-balancing of supply and demand.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

VMware is one of many big tech names that now want to make the most of a BaaS market, although VMware’s (currently beta) offering is targeted at enterprises in regulated industries. VMware has plenty of powerful support in this venture in the shape of partnering with Dell Technologies, Deloitte and WWT as well as having the advantage of IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions supporting VMware Blockchain.

Blockchain is growing in popularity as companies are able to see real examples of how it can be used save time and costs, provide fast and secure traceability, visibility and efficiency, and provide a real competitive advantage.

New App-Based Banking Platform For SMEs From NatWest

Posted on by Andy Miller

NatWest bank is reported to be testing a new app-based banking platform called ‘Mettle’ that combines banking with other business services, and is specifically aimed at the needs of SMEs.

Mettle – Independent From NatWest Bank

Mettle is the first standalone banking app to be launched by one of the UK’s big retail banking brands, and is described by Mettle as a “forward-looking business current account”.

The new SME-focused banking platform is to be run independently from NatWest, is not a bank but operates as an agent under an e-money licence held by PrePay Solutions, and is being developed in partnership with 11:FS and Capco.

The pilot of the new mobile-app based Mettle service has been rolled out to between 100 and 150 existing and new customers, and their feedback will be taken into account before a general roll-out to the public.

Why?

According to Alison Rose, CEO of commercial and private banking at NatWest, the premise for the Mettle banking app is that it will provide customers with data they can use to make business decisions and to let “customers focus on forward-looking finances, combining technology and proactive insights so that SMEs can make better decisions and run their businesses more successfully”.

Other reasons for introducing Mettle are that:

  • Greater awareness of and trust in fintech (financial technology) in the market place, and rapidly advancing technology and a trend towards ‘mobile everything’ mean that traditional banks need to adapt to more customer-focused services, and feel that they can now diversify their offerings.
  • Large banks such as NatWest need to head-off the threat of fast-growing challenger banks such as Monzo, Starling and Revolut.

About Mettle

Apart from the obvious convenience aspect of being able to use a mobile banking app, some of the key features that could make Mettle popular among SMEs are:

  • The account is free and fast to open, and can be operated just using a mobile app and a debit card.
  • Receipts can be added to customer transactions and expenses can be tracked straight from the phone.
  • Customers can lock and unlock their card from their phone with a single tap.
  • It offers other business tools to help SMEs stay on top of a current account.
  • It offers SMEs a maximum balance of £50,000 and a maximum pay out of £10,000.
  • Mettle has the backing of a big banking brand.

Limitations (many of which may be temporary due to it being at the pilot stage) include that Mettle:

  • Offers no overdrafts or interest.
  • Limits cash withdrawals to £500 a day and £4,000 a month.
  • Is currently by invitation only (after interest has been registered online).

How To Open A Mettle Account

At the moment, opening a Mettle account involves going to www.mettle.co.uk, clicking on “register your interest” and entering your email when prompted. After this, Mettle will email you a list of questions to understand the nature of your business, and will let you know whether you can be part of the first group of users with early access.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

If you’re an SME, this kind of account could provide a much faster and more convenient way of operating and staying on top of your finances, and it has been designed specifically with the needs of SMEs in mind. It also offers other helpful business insights that a simple bank current account doesn’t and, therefore, could help SME business decision-making.

For the big banks, app-based systems enable them to keep up with consumer trends and needs, aid customer retention and with the attraction of new customers, and fight-off competition from the other big banks and fast-growing challenger banks.

New Qualifications To Improve Digital Skills of Adults in England

Posted on by Andy Miller

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) has begun a consultation about the introduction of new BDSQs [Basic Digital Skills Qualifications] that are designed to improve the digital skills of adults across England.

What’s the Problem?

Research by UK domain name company Nominet, for example, has shown that less than half of adults have the digital skills needed to easily complete a number of common tech tasks, with only 42% of adults being able to easily complete digital tasks such as downloading apps, uploading videos or using online maps. The same research from October 2017 showed that:

  • Older people struggled more with their digital skills
  • Only 46% of those born between 1965 and 1980 (Generation X) have appropriate digital skills.
  • 64% of millennials could be described as “digitally savvy”.
  • Surprisingly, only 34% of ‘digital natives’ Generation Z (those born from 1997 and onward) could be considered “digitally savvy”.

The results of this and similar research indicate that those without a good basic digital skill level could lose money in savings from online shopping, could miss out on work and other important opportunities, and could be prevented from fully participating in society. Also, with a digital skills gap costing the UK economy approximately £63bn a year, and after Brexit, tech skills are going to become an even more important advantage.

The New Qualifications

The latest consultation about the proposed new BDSQs [Basic Digital Skills Qualifications] is part of the government’s investment in increasing the level of digital skills in adults throughout the country, and it has been reported that Department for Education (DfE) is aiming to introduce a national entitlement to basic digital skills by 2020.

The qualifications, which will be ‘Beginner’ level for those with no previous digital / Internet experience, and ‘Essential’ for adults with some experience, will cover what the DfE believes to be the five key skill areas which are handling information, creating and editing digital content, communication, transacting, and being safe and responsible online.

Delivery of the Qualifications

The delivery of the training for BDSQs will be undertaken by organisations or providers selected by the DfE, and students will be expected to have received a minimum of 45 guided learning hours.

Providers will have some flexibility in designing and delivering the qualifications, but will be required to follow existing naming conventions to make employers and learners more comfortable with the qualifications’ delivery.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

The UK, and specifically England in this case, has been suffering from an IT / digital skills gap for several years now. This has affected the competitiveness of UK businesses and poses a major challenge to the UK government’s vision of making the UK global technology centre. A further digital skills drain and drought caused by Brexit fears, and an apparent lack of people graduating from colleges and universities with the right digital skills has added to the need for the government to do something now to increase the home-grown digital skill level among adults in England.

These new qualifications should ultimately help businesses and the wider economy by helping more adults to take a greater part in a society that relies more on digital communications and transactions, improve their employment prospects, and give employers more opportunities and choice in getting the skills into their businesses that they need.

EU’s Web Copyright Directive Could Spell Trouble

Posted on by Andy Miller

A vote in January on contentious new EU copyright laws could negatively impact tech platforms and all online publishers, create risky legal grey areas for many businesses, stifle freedom of expression, and lead to more surveillance and control.

What Copyright Law?

There will be a final vote in January 2019 on an EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. According to EU leaders, the intention in creating the new Directive is to modernise copyright laws across all EU member states, and to take account of how people now share and distribute content in the digital age.

The change in the law essentially puts a greater obligation for policing copyright infringement on those companies distributing content / making works available online e.g. tech giants, rather than on individuals for downloading it.

Key Articles

The likely introduction of the new Directive has provoked arguments, many of which relate to 2 particular articles in the Directive. These articles are Article 11, which states that new websites should be able to charge web firms for sharing links to their content, and Article 13, which puts the onus on news websites to work with copyright holders in order to prevent users from uploading content that they don’t own the rights to.

In the case of Article 11, for example, some commentators have asked whether this will mean that there will be difficulties placing a value on articles / article extracts, whether headlines and snippets will require licensing, whether payment will be required for hyper-linking (a ‘link tax’), and whether platforms publishing news e.g. Google, will have to pay compensation for providing headlines and extracts. These kinds of complications and costs could, therefore, discourage the distribution and sharing of news content, and could even discourage the sharing of things like holiday photos on the internet.

For Article 13, the requirement for the installation of ‘content filters’ to help web firms stop users sharing copyrighted content, which appears to be targeted at platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, has led critics to say that how people use the web doesn’t appear to have been taken into account by lawmakers. Article 13 could, therefore, mean that too much legitimate content is removed, thereby negatively affecting user experience, and sharing news articles online and finding good quality journalism online could become more difficult for web users.

Other Concerns

Several other concerns have been raised about the contents of the new EU copyright Directive, including:

  • This being a potential step towards the transformation of the internet from an open sharing platform to a tool for the automated surveillance and control of users.
  • Content filters creating a kind of censorship, and doubts over whether automatic content filters will be able to detect things like fair comment, satire, criticism and parody.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Although the stated intention for the change in the law appears to be a good one, for the tech giants this law change represents greater responsibility and control being placed upon them. The potential for increased costs and legal grey areas could create more risks for any company that simply wants to freely report or share news content. The news directive has, therefore, been widely criticised and greeted with suspicion e.g. back in June, 70 of the biggest names of the internet, including, Tim Berners-Lee, and the Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales, signed an open letter citing worries about the news directive being simply used as a way for governments to exert more control and extend surveillance. The use of automatic content filters and the threat of charges for using even headlines, snippets and even hyperlinks certainly look as though they could limit free speech, and discourage and deter the sharing of information and news in a way that could work against the interests of many businesses and organisations.

It remains to be seen how January’s vote goes and whether Brexit will mean that the UK will actually be subject to the directive.