The European Commission is planning to propose a new Digital Services Act before the end of 2020, which would give the EU greater powers to monitor big tech companies.
In order to clear a backlog of criminal law cases, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has announced plans to have juries hear High Court trials in selected Odeon cinemas. Jurors will remotely observe trials in an environment that is compliant with social distancing regulations.
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill (2020) is a piece of legislation brought forward by the Scottish National Party (SNP) to make sure hate crime laws are “fit for the 21st Century”. It has drawn criticism from many sources for potentially limiting freedom of speech.
This year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) season largely coincided with nationwide lockdown and strict social distancing. This was very alarming for companies, who have a statutory obligation to hold their meeting within six months of the financial year. Companies were forced to adapt to new legal rules and technology which has thrown the future of physical AGMs into question.
The Turkish government recently passed a bill that will impose stricter regulation over “immoral” social media companies with the aim of protecting Turkey’s 55 million internet users from disinformation.
The Law Commission has stated that it wants to “reinvigorate” commonhold as an alternative to leasehold. This comes in response to leaseholders who feel that their relationship with property is not in line with true home ownership.
The UN is to adopt a new regulation which will require car manufacturers to ensure their connected vehicles cannot be subject to a cyber-attack.
On Tuesday 23 June the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland QC indicated that legislation could be passed that would allow trial without a jury in England and Wales.
The Department for Transport (DfT) announced on 30 June 2020 that rental e-scooters are legal on British roads as of 4 July 2020. This will enable the government to test whether e-scooters offer “clean and cost-effective travel” in a bid to increase greener transport.
Pressure is increasing on the government to consider a wealth tax to fund public spending once the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic reveals itself.