May 2002 Articles

    • Misleading data protection ads stopped

      31 May 2002

      A business running misleading adverts for data protection notification services was yesterday halted by the English High Court following action by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

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    • Growth pill flops as cops grab scammers' jewels

      31 May 2002

      Luxury cars, cash and jewellery worth over $30 million have been seized by officials from individuals running a company in Arizona that sold bogus penile enlargement pills over the internet. Its web sites have been closed.

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    • Inland Revenue halts on-line tax filing

      31 May 2002

      The Inland Revenue this week suspended its on-line self-assessment tax return system after complaints from some users that, when logging in, they could see the details of other users. The security breach is being seen as an embarrassing blow to the Government’s...

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    • E-tailers must refund delivery charges for returns

      31 May 2002

      Amazon.co.uk and BOL have agreed to follow a demand by the UK’s Office of Fair Trading to include delivery charges in refunds that they provide to customers who return goods within the cooling-off period provided for under the Distance Selling Regulations....

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    • E-commerce Minister replaced in UK Government

      30 May 2002

      Stephen Timms has replaced Douglas Alexander as E-commerce Minister in the UK as a result of a Government reshuffle following the resignation of Transport Minister Stephen Byers.

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    • Steffi Graf wins German case on liability of web host

      30 May 2002

      Steffi Graf has won a court appeal in Cologne against Microsoft Germany over fake nude photos of her that appeared on web pages hosted by the company. However, the decision, if media reports are accurate, gives cause for concern.

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    • FBI memo reveals problems with internet surveillance

      30 May 2002

      An FBI anti-terrorism investigation was hampered by technical flaws in the Bureau's controversial Carnivore internet surveillance system, according to an internal FBI memo. It appears that the system also monitors the communications of innocent parties....

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    • EU approves rules on spam, cookies and data retention

      30 May 2002

      To the concern of privacy advocates, the European Parliament today largely approved a compromise on the proposed Directive for the protection of personal data and privacy in electronic communications.

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    • Data retention, spam and cookies go to EU vote

      29 May 2002

      On Thursday, the European Parliament will vote on a proposed data protection law that includes controversial provisions in the fields of data retention, spam and cookies. Parliament’s two largest political parties have reached agreement on amendments...

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    • Supreme Court rules on scope of US patents

      29 May 2002

      In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court has limited the scope of the controversial Festo case, a decision of November 2000 that significantly limited the ability of patent owners to sue for infringements. The original ruling was seen as a to threat...

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