JISC Legal : Human Rights

An examination of the most relevant human rights in the context of colleges and universities.

An examination of the most relevant human rights in the context of colleges and universities.

These Top Ten Tips were created to celebrate JISC Legal's 10th anniversary, all the while looking forward to the challenges UK FE and HE will face in the next ten years.

This guidance document examines the Digital Economy Act 2010 and its implications for universities and colleges in the UK.

An examination of the most relevant human rights in the context of colleges and universities.

An examination of the most relevant human rights in the context of colleges and universities.

A JISC study to explore the Legal and Records Management Issues relating to the concept of the Lifelong Learner record.

This paper considers what the legal issues are in relation to institutional ePortfolio systems ... (cont)

A JISC study to explore the Legal and Records Management Issues relating to the concept of the Lifelong Learner record.

We are pleased to announce the launch of JISC Legal Plus - a new staff development service bringing JISC Legal's expertise to your institution at competitive prices...  (cont'd)

Covert monitoring is surveillance of online activity without giving the users involved specific notification that this is going on.  It clearly has legal implications relating to ... (cont)

 There are a variety of instances within FE and HE institutions when a student's civil rights and obligations are being determined, for example ... (cont)

 Article 2 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) states that 'No person shall be denied the right to education ... (cont)

 Links to further resources.

This paper considers what the legal issues are in relation to institutional ePortfolio systems ... (cont)

Improving the protection of freedom of speech and increasing access to vital communications, including internet use, are proposed in the Queen's speech.

The Digital Economy Act 2010 was given royal assent late on Thursday, 8 April 2010, following the final reading of the Digital Economy Bill in the House of Commons, the previous night.

The High Court states that even where private individuals are expressing their own views online the requirements of lawful processing in the DPA can apply.

The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 are now in force and require that Equality Duty compliance information must be published by the end of January 2012.

A data controller is able to anonymise originally-personal data to make it free of data protection law constraints.

The general Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010 comes into force this week (5/04/2011) and places three broad requirements on the public sector including colleges and universities.

The Draft Equality Act (Statutory Duties) Regulations 2011 for England have been withdrawn by the government for further review.

New law gives individuals more control over what information organisations can store on their computer.

The EU has taken a step towards common rules for cracking down on those who sexually abuse children and post images of the abuse on the internet.

This bill seeks to amend current defamation legislation and is progressing through Parliament. The main focus of the bill is to make sure that defamation legislation is fit for modern times.

A Statutory Instrument has been set out on costs sharing for rights holders and ISPs in implementing the Digital Economy Act. 

The European Commission has announced a consultation on the Commission report on the enforcement of intellectual property rights.

The controversial Digital Economy Act (DEA) is to be reviewed by the High Court and subject to a Parliamentary enquiry

A recent official announcement by David Cameron states UK intellectual property laws are to be reviewed to make them “fit for the internet age”. 

Data protection law needs to provide more clarity on what actually constitutes personal data.

A consultation by the GEO seeks views on proposals for draft regulations on the new public sector equality duty.

A working party representing 37 EU countries is currently negotiating the Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) which intends to tackle online copyright infringements on an international level.

On 8 April 2010 the Equality Act received royal assent after completing its parliamentary process.

ACAS guide offers practical tips on the impact of social networking on discipline and grievances, bullying, defamation, data protection and privacy.

This JANET factsheet on providing email accounts for alumni is intended to assist in considering all the potential issues involved, with JISC Legal contribution from a legal perspective.

Guidance for public sector organisationsaims to make current equality law more consistent, clearer and easier to follow in order to make society fairer.

Guidance for organisations and employers on the implications of the Equality Act 2010 available at: http://www.equalities.gov.uk/equality_act_2010/equality_act_2010_what_do_i_n.aspx. 

JISC Techdis, a JISC Advance service, works with the HE and FE sector in the UK in the field of accessibility and inclusion. http://www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/

An aspect report by HM Inspectors on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council to identify approaches and best practice and to make recommendations for improvement.

Useful Links to Human Rights resources.

RecordKeeping was published quarterly between 2004 and 2009 covering news, case studies and examples of best practice from The National Archives and the wider archives and records management communities. 

The vast majority of government records are now produced electronically and The National Archives works with central and local government organisations to ensure that this information is both stored securely and easily accessible.

Good records and information management is essential if the government is to meet the requirements of Data Protection, Freedom of Information and Human Rights legislation.  Under agreement with the ICO this is done through a programme of information management assessments.

FAIFE is an initiative within IFLA (International Federation of Library Association and Institutions), which seeks to defend and promote the basic human rights defined in Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It provides documentation on the actual situation concerning libraries, librarianship and intellectual freedom around the world.The original statement was issued 25th March 1999.
http://www.ifla.org/faife/policy/iflastat/iflastat.htm.