Electronic workplace

This document reflects the UK GDPR regime. References and links to the GDPR refer to the UK GDPR (Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2016/679) unless expressly stated otherwise.

This subtopic covers regulatory requirements relating to how your firm and staff use:

•
the internet
•
other forms of electronic communication, eg emails and telephone

Our Precedent Internet, e-comms and social media policy—law firms also deals with social media activities.

Data protection issues

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) governs the processing of personal data in the UK. It obliges processors of personal data to comply with eight principles and gives individuals a right to know what information is held about them.

The GDPR applies where:

•
you collect personal data about clients and other third parties via the internet or your electronic communications system
•
you generate or collect personal data in the course of monitoring your staff's use of the internet or your electronic communications system

The GDPR imposes obligations including:

•
informing

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Practice Compliance News

Guidance on the information sharing measures in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 has been updated

An update to the guidance on information sharing measures outlined in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 has been updated on the government’s website. The measures, which are voluntary, allow regulated firms to share customer information for the purposes of preventing, investigating and detecting economic crime and have been put in place to provide greater clarity and comfort to regulated firms to share relevant customer information.

New Practice Compliance forecast as at 18 December 2024

Our new Practice Compliance forecast (as at 18 December 2024) is now live. This month we report on items including: (1) publication of Guidelines 02/2024 on Article 48 GDPR by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) for consultation; (2) expectations for the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) to publish its final budget and business plan in Spring 2025; (3) expectations for the Data (Use and Access) Bill to be enacted in early spring 2025, and (4) a statement by the ICO that it would update its existing AI guidance in due course.

House of Lords conclude committee stage of Data (Use and Access) Bill

The House of Lords has completed the committee stage of the Data (Use and Access) Bill, the final day of scrutiny took place on 18 December 2024 and focused on amendments related to children and AI, national security and data privacy risks and AI compliance with UK copyright law. The bill, aimed at harnessing data for economic growth and improving digital governance, has undergone thorough examination over multiple sessions, addressing issues such as protection of children, misuse of AI rules, data mining and processing of personal data. The next stage, report stage, is scheduled for 21 January 2025.