WTF? No fine for Channel 4?

Okay, regulating content must be a Great British Nightmare, but how blatant a breach of the Broadcasting Code must there be before saying “Sorry” is not enough?

Channel 4 managed to pack in 115 uses by Gordan Ramsay “of the most offensive language (i.e. “fuck“, “fucking” and “fucked”)”  in a programme broadcast after the 9pm watershed on 30 January 2009.  Despite being well-known for his swearing, 51 viewers felt this was too much, and complained to Ofcom.

Ofcom carried out its investigation and found Channel 4 to have breached Rule 2.3 of the Broadcasting Code (offensive content must be justified by context).  (See Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 133, 11 May 2009.)

Channel 4 apologised, and were not fined.  What’s that about?  Ofcom cbfa?!

Sine Amicis – Another company loses data

Amicus Legal Limited is the latest in a long line of organisations being caught out by wandering laptops or USB keys: see the Information Commissioner’s Enforcement Page. 

It’s another case of a laptop theft – this time a consultant’s laptop from a hotel room.  As often is the situation, the laptop was unencrypted and belonged to a third party data processor.  However, it’s the “owner” of the lost data, the data controller, that gets it in the neck.

These 7th Data Protection Principle breaches are getting so common, you’d think there would not be an unencrypted business-user’s laptop left in the European Union.  The Information Commissioner’s patience has got to be wearing thin.  They’ll be heavy fines in this area, once those sections 55A – 55E of the Data Protection Act 1998 are brought into effect!