Hi, Here is your weekly round-up of highlights from OUT-LAW News. As always, click the links to read the full stories of the summaries below or see these and many other stories from this week's news at http://www.out-law.com/page-5951. You can also access our archive of weekly emails at http://www.out-law.com/page-7793. The OUT-LAW Team ***This week's highlights from OUT-LAW News*** 1. Equality Bill to encourage positive discrimination Employers will be allowed to discriminate in favour of female or ethnic minority job candidates under a new law announced by Harriet Harman MP today. The Equality Bill will also ban contractual prohibitions on staff discussing pay with each other. 26/06/2008 http://www.out-law.com/page-9212 2. Government lays plans to avoid future data security blunders The loss last year of 25 million records by HM Revenue and Customs was the result of "woefully inadequate" processes for data handling, not individual employees, according to an investigation. The Government has responded with new data security plans. 25/06/2008 http://www.out-law.com/page-9209 3. Staff internet policies must be Facebook-ready, warns expert Dealing with staff who misbehave on the web may be hampered by office policies written without Web 2.0 sites in mind, an employment expert has said. The warning follows disciplinary action against 18 police officers who boasted about crashes on Facebook. 25/06/2008 http://www.out-law.com/page-9204 4. E-commerce laws to be rewritten by European Commission A new set of consumer contract laws to harmonise the rules that govern online selling across the EU will be proposed this autumn by the European Commission. The EU's consumer chief also promised fresh guidance on viral adverts and profiling technology. 25/06/2008 http://www.out-law.com/page-9208 5. Workplaces need a music licence – but enforcement is unfair, says FSB A British trade body has called for new rules to exempt small businesses from music licensing fees that are payable if they let staff listen to a radio or watch TV. Some employers have received demands for unpaid licence fees dating back several years. 24/06/2008 http://www.out-law.com/page-9199 6. Journalist claims victory in protection of sources ruling Police were right to ask a journalist to reveal source material for a book about terrorism but the terms of the order obtained were too wide, the High Court has ruled. Arguments on what the terms of the production order should be will be heard this week. 23/06/2008 http://www.out-law.com/page-9195 ***OUT-LAW Radio is taking another short break*** http://www.out-law.com/page-7212 ***About this email*** This is a weekly email for subscribers of OUT-LAW.COM, a website with more than 8,000 pages of free legal news and guidance. If and when you need further advice, we hope you'll choose Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind OUT-LAW.COM. Feel free to forward this email to your friends. If someone forwarded this email to you and you'd like your own subscription, register free at http://www.out-law.com. Existing subscribers: you can manage your profile at http://www.out-law.com/page-520. The email address for this subscription is <>. Feel free to give us your feedback by replying to this email. To unsubscribe, please reply with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. (We'd also appreciate you telling us why you've decided to unsubscribe.) This email is sent on behalf of Pinsent Masons LLP, a limited liability partnership registered in England & Wales (registered number: OC333653) and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The word 'partner', used in relation to the LLP, refers to a member of the LLP or an employee or consultant of the LLP or any affiliated firm who has equivalent standing and qualifications. A list of the members of the LLP, and of those non-members who are designated as partners, is displayed at the LLP's registered office: CityPoint, One Ropemaker Street, London EC2Y 9AH, United Kingdom.