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Blog Manager
One of Jisc’s activities is to monitor and, where possible, influence regulatory developments that affect us and our customer universities, colleges and schools as operators of large computer networks. Since Janet and its customer networks are classified by Ofcom as private networks, postings here are likely to concentrate on the regulation of those networks. Postings here are, to the best of our knowledge, accurate on the date they are made, but may well become out of date or unreliable at unpredictable times thereafter. Before taking action that may have legal consequences, you should talk to your own lawyers. NEW: To help navigate the many posts on the General Data Protection Regulation, I've classified them as most relevant to developing a GDPR compliance process, GDPR's effect on specific topics, or how the GDPR is being developed. Or you can just use my free GDPR project plan.

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OFCOM to Review DEA Blocking Powers

Wednesday, June 6, 2012 - 10:34

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has today announced that Ofcom will be asked to review the practicality of the provisions in section 17 of the Digital Economy Act 2010 that might in future allow courts to order blocking of infringing sites.

In our responses to previous consultations on the Act we have expressed concern on two issues:

  • that such blocks were unlikely to be effective, and
  • that blocking sites that people want to access would promote the adoption of technologies to evade blocks, thereby exposing users and their computers to harmful material that neither they nor their computers wanted to see.

I'll be keeping an eye out for opportunities to make those comments again in this new review.