Overview

This article, written by Mills & Reeve's Robert Weatherley, examines how the right to privacy is protected under UK and Chinese law and how new technology is increasingly encroaching on the protection and enjoyment of this right.

The article is divided into four short sections; the first section looks at UK legislation on the right to privacy and examine some of the recent high-profile court cases in which new technology has been found to have impeded that right. The second section, assesses how Chinese law seeks to protect individual privacy from the ever increasing reach of new technology. This includes a review of a recent landmark court case, which found in favour of a claimant whose privacy was breached over the internet.

The third section examines the extent to which the expansion of new technology represents a perceived threat to national security and how both Chinese and UK law allows the state to override the right to privacy, often through the use of new technology.

The final section suggest some ways in which Chinese law might benefit from UK privacy laws within the wider context of new technology.

Click 'View Briefing' for the full article.