Case law shows that anonymous internet users have no hiding place, says Sophia Purkis
The growth of business conducted electronically has provided those with an eye to innovative commercial development with enormous opportunities. It has also created new challenges for those involved in the prosecution of civil wrongs. The courts have recently re-affirmed that they are not fazed by these developments and are applying established rules to meet more novel circumstances, including to identify those who (whether deliberately or not) are conferred anonymity by their use of the internet.
Norwich Pharmacal orders
Recently, the grant of a Norwich Pharmacal order came under close examination by the Supreme Court in The Rugby Football Union v Consolidated Information Services Limited (formerly Viagogo Limited) (In Liquidation) [2012] UKSC 55, [2012] All ER (D) 236 (Nov), which considered the facts of the case and balanced case law against the right to protection of personal data guaranteed by Art 8 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. The decision provides a useful summary of the principles upon which a Norwich Pharmacal order will be granted and is
