Archive for the ‘digital’ Topic
Personal data – the new oil
Published: 6 February 2013
In the digital economy personal data is a growth business. The volume of personal data gathered by smart devices, searches, site visits, purchases, recommendations, likes, tweets and status updates is on the rise. Growing too is the value of this data to companies who capture, store, analyse and sell it on. The services are free to use but, as the social media phrase goes, ‘if the service is free, then you’re the product.’
News: Consumer Focus response to fair-use copyright exceptions
Published: 20 December 2012
Responding to the announcement by Government of ‘fair-use’ copyright exceptions today – which amongst other positive moves will mean that consumers will be able to legally copy music, films or other digital material that they have purchased for use on devices such as computers and MP3 players – Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, [...]
News: Vince Cable announcement on intellectual property
Published: 17 December 2012
Responding to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announcement on intellectual property today, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus said: ‘We welcome Vince Cable’s announcement of a new campaign to educate consumers on how to avoid copyright infringement and use legal services to download digital entertainment including music, films, games and books. Consumers [...]
News: New small claims track on IP disputes
Published: 1 October 2012
Responding to a new small claims track for businesses with IP disputes announced today, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, said: ‘High volume but low value copyright infringement by consumers has posed a considerable challenge to a system designed for high value business disputes. The small claims track is a significant step towards a [...]
Personalisation of search
Published: 10 August 2012
Your filter bubble is your individual universe of information that you inhabit online — exclusively constructed just for you by the array of personalised filters that now power the web. Google personally tailors your search queries, Amazon suggests books you might like based on your past purchases and Facebook tailors the adverts it shows you based on what you’ve ‘liked’. This has its downsides: with Google search personalised for everyone, the query ‘stem cells’ might produce diametrically opposed results for scientists who support stem cell research and activists who oppose it. ‘Proof of climate change’ might turn up different results for an environmentalist and an oil company executive. In polls, a huge majority of us assume search engines are unbiased. But that may be just because they’re increasingly biased to share our own views.
Regulation in the digital age
Published: 9 August 2012
The world as we know it is changing. We are seeing rapid transformations in technology which are bringing about changes in the way consumers participate in the economy and society. This fast pace of change can be seen clearly in the growth of technology businesses. As of September 2006, Facebook was extended beyond its original target audience of educational institutions to anyone with a registered email address. By May 2012, it had over 900 million active users. A similar story can be seen with Twitter which had grown to 140 million active users by March 2012 since its creation in 2006.
Another digital switchover?
Published: 2 August 2012
No sooner is one switch over than another comes along! The programme to switch from analogue to digital television is almost complete across the UK. And now the Government is making preparations for switching radio.
At Consumer Focus we’ve been working to make sure consumers don’t lose out ever since the planning for TV switchover began over a decade ago. We helped to made sure the assistance scheme for vulnerable consumers was set up. Now the focus is on radio as preparations for most stations to move to digital start – though some stations will be available on FM.
News: Ofcom consultation on the draft Initial Obligations Code
Published: 26 July 2012
Responding to Ofcom’s notice that it seeks to implement the Digital Economy Act through its Initial Obligations Code, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, said: ‘We welcome the positive steps Ofcom have taken to strengthen the evidence standard required of copyright owners if they are to accuse subscribers of copyright infringement. However, we still [...]
News: Golden Eye copyright claim letters set to hit almost 3,000 consumers’ doormats
Published: 24 July 2012
The High Court has ruled that Golden Eye, acting on behalf of pornographic film producer Ben Dover, can use the names and addresses of O2 customers to pursue claims of copyright infringement. Consumer Focus is highlighting today that 2,845 people are now likely to be sent claim letters by Golden Eye. The company originally wanted [...]
News: Government’s copyright reforms announcement
Published: 2 July 2012
Welcoming the Government’s decision to implement Professor Hargreaves’ recommendations to reform the copyright licensing system, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, said: ‘The Government’s decision on the copyright licensing reforms announced today is very welcome. Copyright licensing is the wiring behind the scenes that consumers don’t see – without it consumers won’t have access [...]