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03 September 2021 / Dean Armstrong KC , Paul Schwartfeger
Issue: 7946 / Categories: Features , Cyber
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Blockchain: the right to be forgotten (or not)

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Dean Armstrong QC & Paul Schwartfeger, 36 Commercial, consider how organisations can & should respond to erasure requests on blockchain
  • The right to erasure under Article 17 under the UK GDPR is not absolute and specialist lawyers ought to be involved in blockchain projects from their outset, to assess their suitability for compliance.

Now that the UK has left the EU and the transition period has ended, the provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) no longer strictly apply to the UK, albeit the Regulation’s extraterritorial reach continues to affect those offering goods or services to data subjects in the EU. Even for those who only serve individuals in the UK, however, the Regulation’s effects continue to be felt, as its provisions have been incorporated into domestic law as the ‘UK GDPR’.

Practically speaking, the core data principles, rights and obligations remain largely unchanged as a result of this regulatory switch, and as such this article makes no distinction in its analysis between the EU and UK regimes—either or both of which

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth

NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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