On today’s show Ben’s got the story of how the UK’s new Online Safety Act, billed as a way to protect children, may actually end up doing more harm than good—with mandatory age checks, privacy concerns, and a growing backlash from users. Dave’s got the story of how Flock Safety is expanding its controversial license plate surveillance network into schools—raising serious concerns from privacy advocates about student monitoring, data use, and the growing reach of law enforcement tech on campus.

While this show covers legal topics, and Ben is a lawyer, the views expressed do not constitute legal advice. For official legal advice on any of the topics we cover, please contact your attorney. 

Complete our annual ⁠⁠⁠audience survey⁠⁠⁠ before August 31.

Links to today's stories:

• No, the UK’s Online Safety Act Doesn’t Make Children Safer Online


• Schools are next for Flock Safety’s automatic license place reader cameras

⁠Get the weekly Caveat Briefing delivered to your inbox.

Like what you heard? Be sure to check out and subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Caveat Briefing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a weekly newsletter available exclusively to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠N2K Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ members on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠N2K CyberWire's⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website. N2K Pro members receive our Thursday wrap-up covering the latest in privacy, policy, and research news, including incidents, techniques, compliance, trends, and more.

This week's ⁠⁠⁠⁠Caveat Briefing⁠⁠⁠⁠ covers a call from Senate Democrats for an investigation into the Department of Justice’s settlement allowing Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks, raising concerns about political interference and the firing of key antitrust officials. The senators allege that HPE’s use of lobbyists with ties to the Trump administration, along with reported pressure from intelligence officials to approve the deal, signals potential politicization and improper influence over the DOJ’s merger enforcement process. ⁠⁠⁠Curious about the details? Head over to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Caveat Briefing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the full scoop and additional compelling stories.

Got a question you'd like us to answer on our show? You can send your audio file to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠caveat@thecyberwire.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Hope to hear from you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices