This month in the news.
- Leveson report on the culture, practices and ethics of the British press with recommendations on future press regulation is published.
- Texas student expelled for refusing to wear location tracking badge.
- EU and the US join in making the Internet safer for children by agreeing to implement joint campaigns on Safer Internet Day, cooperate in fighting child sexual abuse online, and continue working with industry and other stakeholders so that parents and children can make informed choices online.
- German court rules: parents cannot be held responsible for the illegal downloads of their children, provided they have previously explained to their kids that the practice is illegal.
- BEREC and Vice-President of the European Commission Neelie Kroes meet to discuss their shared commitment to boosting broadband connectivity in Europe.
- Number of government requests for Google to remove content and share data on its users spikes the first half of 2012.
- The EU Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources in 28 pages.
- BEREC statement opposing ETNO (the lobby representing incumbent EU telecoms operators in Brussels) proposals for the review of the International Telecommunications Regulations for the World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012.
- The European Commission has published a study on broadband coverage in Europe in 2011, mapping the progress towards the coverage objectives of the Digital Agenda – basic broadband access for all by 2013 and high speed broadband access with at least 30 Mbps download speed for all by 2020.
- In a ruling that effectively renders access to the internet as a human right, a UK court said that online predator Michael Jackson of Kent cannot be banned from owning a computer, as it is “unreasonable nowadays to ban anyone from accessing the internet in their home”.
