The UK government has rejected a call by MPs for a privacy law, branding it “unnecessary and undesirable” and insisting that self-regulation remains the best way of maintaining high standards in newspapers. In a report in June, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, led by Gerald Kaufman, “firmly” recommended that the government should
introduce legislation to “clarify the protection that individuals can expect from unwarranted intrusion by anyone, not the press alone, into their private lives”. But in a report, the Department for Culture, Media and Sports said “The government considers that existing legislation is capable of dealing adequately with questions of privacy.
” Under the Human Rights Act, individuals are guaranteed freedom of expression and
the right to privacy. The potential conflict between these rights has led to calls, including some from judges, for parliament to clarify the right to privacy. The department also gave the thumbs down to a proposal by the culture committee that the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) should operate a twin-track procedure offering judgments to those people who did not want mediation. But the department backed many of the proposals made by Mr Kaufman’s committee, including the idea that Ofcom, broadcasters, the PCC and the press should work together to tackle “media scrums”.
Source: http://media.guardian.co.uk/pressprivacy/story/0,7525,1062983,00.html –
Media Guardian