Revenge porn is back in the news after reports that the first woman to be convicted of the offence, Paige Mitchell, has been spared a jail term. Stigma following the publication of intimate images online can cause harm and distress way beyond some initial embarrassment, however. The growing number of explicit images being shared online, specifically without the … Continue reading
I was invited to join the BBC’s Your Money programme (video below) to discuss the introduction of employee shareholders under the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013. Although the provisions are introduced from 1 September 2013, there remains some uncertainty about how they will change we work and how many employers will embrace them. In essence, this is … Continue reading
A trainee accountant who has achieved nationwide noteriety after allegedly hitting then tweeting about “#bloodycyclists” is reported to have been suspended from her job. Emma Way tweeted that she had ‘definitely knocked a cyclist off his biker earlier – I have right of way he doesn’t even pay road tax #bloodycyclists’. As a result of her tweet, … Continue reading
Following a freedom of information request by think tank Parliament Street, it has been reported that a DVLA civil servant has been dismissed for breaching the ban on using social media whilst at work, even though he was using his own phone. Details have also been disclosed about 3 other employees from the Swansea based Driver and … Continue reading
A poll of 1,200 office workers has found that half of employees never consider the risks presented to companies by downloading data to their office computers or smartphones. In the survey carried out by IT staffing provider Modis, 40 per cent of those surveyed said they were not aware of their employers IT security policies. … Continue reading
Frequently, employees who are accused of inappropriate behaviour on social media sites will blame someone else. “I didn’t write that” may sometimes seem like a convenient passing of the buck, but online identity theft – however temporary – is very real and can have serious consequences. You may not be familiar with such vulgar words … Continue reading
The BBC has reported a case in Northern Ireland in which a High Court judge has awarded damages of £35,000 against an unknown person who defamed people on Facebook. The identities of the three individuals who were libelled directly and by implication – and the business in which they worked – have not been revealed at the request of … Continue reading
In December 2012, Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) set out interim guidelines for the prosecution of people who misuse social media, but are these suitable for use in the workplace? As a result of an increase in the number of allegations the Crown Prosecution Service has had to deal with – about … Continue reading
Kevin Poulter 