Potential help to enable organisations to apologise when necessary, a crackdown on retail crime and what to do if your account is hacked
Today we discuss a range of topics, including potential new changes to the law which will enable organisations to apologise to victims without the fear of admitting liability. The government announce plans to tackle retail crime, plus we give you tips on what action to take if your account is hacked.
Consultation on law changes to make apologising easier
A new consultation has been launched to find out how the law could be updated to make it easier for organisations to apologise more when they make mistakes.
Many organisations are reluctant to apologise because they are concerned that it will be interpreted as an admission of fault.
However, an apology is often needed by a victim so that they can get a sense of closure and feel they can move on with their lives. This is a case of legal concerns preventing what all parties would like to happen for the victim to feel better.
The Compensation Act already makes it easier for apologies to be made without admitting liability in civil proceedings. This became law in 2006, but evidence suggests that this provision has not given businesses the confidence to be able to apologise when needed.
Therefore, the government consultation will look at whether clarifying or amending the law would be useful.
The consultation will close on 3 June 2024.
The consultation with details on how to respond can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-the-law-of-apologies-in-civil-proceedings
Crackdown on retail crime anticipated
The Home Office have reported that the Prime Minister has set out tough new actions that will provide better protection for the high street and crack down on retail crime.
Assaulting a retail worker is going to be made a standalone criminal offence that could result in being sent to prison for up to six months, a fine of unlimited amount, or a ban.
Criminal Behaviour Orders could be used to bar offenders from visiting specific premises. Breaching an order might result in a maximum five-year prison sentence. Causing grievous bodily harm with intent may even result in a life sentence.
Tags will be used where if an offender is guilty of assaulting staff three times or is sentenced for shoplifting on three separate occasions. Facial recognition technology will also be used to help police enforce the laws.
The news has been warmly welcomed by businesses in the retail sector.
The Coop Group’s Paul Gerrard, Campaigns and Public Affairs Director said: “The Co-op sees every day the violence and threats our colleagues, like other retail workers, face as they serve the communities they live in. These measures will undoubtedly, when implemented, keep our shopworkers safer, protect the shops they work in and help the communities both serve.
See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-launches-retail-crime-crackdown
What can you do to recover a hacked account?
Losing access to any of your digital accounts can be very stressful, and if it’s an account you need for work this can be doubly the case.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) produces guidance that can help the self-employed and sole traders as well as any individual recover a hacked account.
First, how can you tell if you’ve been hacked?
Sometimes it’s obvious because you are unable to log into your accounts or an unauthorised purchase or money transfer’s been made. But other telltale signs include:
- changes being made to your security settings,
- receiving messages or notifications from your account that you don’t recognise, and
- records of logins from strange places or at unusual times. Look out for telltale signs in your online accounts.
The NCSC lists the following steps to take so you can recover your account:
- Contact your account provider.
- Check your email account.
- Change passwords.
- Log all devices and apps out of your account.
- Set up 2-step verification.
- Update your devices.
- Notify your contacts.
- Check your bank statements and online shopping accounts.
- Contact Action Fraud.
More detail on what these steps involve can be found in the guidance. See: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/recovering-a-hacked-account