Technology & Digital round-up: 26 August 2022

The legal part…

• The government unveiled its plan to roll out self-driving vehicles on UK roads and is consulting until 14 October 2022 on the approach that self-driving vehicles should be expected to achieve an equivalent level of safety to that of a competent and careful human driver. Organisations, such as manufacturers, could face sanctions if standards are not met.

• In related news, the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation published a report setting out proposals for a trustworthy approach to the regulation and governance of self-driving vehicles.

• Consumer champion Alex Neill is seeking compensation from Sony on behalf of 8.9 million UK users of PlayStation, claiming a breach of competition law. It’s alleged that Sony has been exploiting its UK customers by charging them too much for PlayStation digital games and in-game content through its control over the entire PlayStation ecosystem.

• The Law Society published a report on how advances in neurotechnology could change the law. Neurotechnologies are described as technologies that interact directly with the brain, or more broadly the nervous system, by monitoring and recording neural activity, and/or acting to influence it. Sometimes neurotechnology is implanted in the brain but it may also be in the form of a headset, wristband or helmet.

• The UK Jurisdiction Taskforce of LawtechUK is consulting until 23 September 2022 on how English law can support the issue and transfer of equity or debt securities on blockchain and DLT (distributed ledger technology) systems.

• The Financial Conduct Authority published a new website showing data on the firms supported to date by its Regulatory Sandbox and Innovation Pathways service, including sectors, technologies, areas of innovation and locations.

• In related news, the FCA released the webinar recordings from its July 2022 Innovation Open Day event. Topics include the approach to cryptoassets, technology trends to watch, and algorithms and regulation.

• A new report from TheCityUK warns that the world risks fragmenting into regional and national ‘splinternets’ unless governments can agree on a shared approach to data regulation and cross-border data transfers.

• The Information Commissioner’s Office updated its guide to the UK eIDAS Regulations which provide the legal framework for the use of electronic trust services offered within the UK and recognise equivalent services offered in the EU.

• Paul Dinning from our Infrastructure & Energy Group published a briefing ‘Rooftop solar: A win/win for landlords and tenants?’ and explained the advice and guidance our renewable energy specialists can provide in relation to this technology and related areas.

…and in other news

• Walker Morris is proud to be one of the executive sponsors of the upcoming Leeds Digital Festival which takes place from 19 to 30 September 2022. Join us for our event “Start caring about data sharing: the reality of GDPR compliance in 2022”, Thursday 22nd September. Our panel of experts will be providing their top tips for leveraging the data in your business to gain a competitive advantage whilst remaining on the right side of data protection law.

• The National Cyber Security Centre published new guidance for construction businesses planning to take part in joint ventures on the best approach for managing information security risks. See the related blog post.

• The government published the results of an in-depth study exploring the experiences of a range of businesses and organisations affected by cyber security breaches.

• In the latest twist in Elon Musk’s legal battle with Twitter, the Tesla CEO launched legal action to summon Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey to appear in court.

• And finally, in related news, a former Twitter security chief turned whistleblower raised security concerns, testifying that the company misled users and US regulators about gaps in its security.

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