new technologies | In Principle

According to the advocate general’s opinions in C-434/15 Elite Taxi and C-320/16 Uber France, Uber does not provide information society services, but local transport services which may be regulated by EU member states.

It has generally been assumed that sectors like finance, energy and transport are most at risk for attacks by cyber criminals. But according to forecasts by Europol, in 2017 sensitive medical data of patients stored in poorly secured hospital systems will be in the front lines of cyberattacks. Blocking of the IT system or leaking of patient data can disrupt the work of a medical unit to such a degree that it is unable to treat patients until it pays a heavy ransom to cyber criminals. Is it possible to protect against such a scenario?

Proposed standards for strong authentication stir numerous controversies.

The Act on Trust Services and Electronic Identification is intended to adapt Polish law to the EU’s eIDAS Regulation. Among other things, it repeals the Electronic Signature Act. The new act is part of a broad trend toward creation of a new regulatory framework for digital commerce.

Financial technologies need specific legal solutions and an open approach to the law.

Players hunting for virtual creatures could end up facing real-life civil or even criminal liability.

Recent terrorist attacks have revealed the dark side of new information technologies. Organiz¬ers of attacks, or fighters for the “Islamic State,” have ruthlessly exploited the latest communica¬tions technologies. For example, according to media reports, terrorists have arranged attacks via PlayStation tools or encrypted instant messaging services. Polish lawmakers decided to respond to this phenomenon by passing the Anti-Terrorism Act of 10 June 2016.

Operators of crowdfunding platforms should carefully follow the work on the Network and Information Security Directive. The last draft of the proposal suggests that crowdfunding platforms could be covered by the directive.

A software manufacturer’s role in criminal investigations and hacking its own programming

According to an Advocate General at the Court of Justice, a provider of free WiFi is not responsible for the actions of its users.

The EU’s eIDAS Regulation enters into force on 1 July 2016. The importance of this somewhat mysterious act is not yet widely appreciated. It opens up new possibilities and creates space for very interesting new services.

Reimbursement of funds lost in an attack on an online account can be pursued against the bank operating the account.