header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
31 October 2019 / Malcolm Dowden , Moga Moodley
Issue: 7862 / Categories: Opinion , Technology , Media , Data protection
printer mail-detail

Protecting the election ‘Persuadables’

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
With a general election approaching, taking back control of your browser data is essential, say Moga Moodley & Malcolm Dowden

With a 12 December UK general election now in the diary there is a pressing need to consider the risk of electoral influence or manipulation through the harvesting of personal data, highlighted by the 2016 Facebook/Cambridge Analytica (CA) scandal. Political will to avoid such risks might be strengthened by legal exposure stemming from a recent Court of Appeal decision encouraging class actions for breaches of personal data protection which may stem from large-scale profiling activities ((Lloyd v Google LLC [2019] EWCA Civ 1599, [2019] All ER (D) 09 (Oct).

Browser data

Web browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer collect and analyse browser data to determine users’: location; websites visited; how much time is spent on those websites; and what searches are made, and how frequently.

Browser data may be accumulated and analysed to build user profiles, identifying behaviour patterns and preferences along with detailed maps of individuals’ social networks. CA whistleblowers revealed that

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Property cases reshape established principles
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
NLJ this week: Stress ruling raises the bar for employers
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
NLJ this week: Can Manchesterism revive access to justice?
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
NLJ this week: Constitutional conventions tested as power changes hands
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
NLJ this week: Lawyers must become product designers
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll