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25 June 2021 / Ceri Davis
Issue: 7938 / Categories: Features , Cyber
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Cyber law: language matters

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With technology advancing every day, Ceri Davis of 36 Commercial explores the importance of mastering the language of cyber law

You are standing in the middle of your kitchen: how do you make a sandwich?

Most answers will fail to take into account the numerous and critical processes involved in what, on the face of it, seems like a simple task. They will neglect to address where the bread is stored, how you get there, how you access the bread etc. Writing computer software requires precision and breaking activities down into their constituent parts. That level of granular and analytical detail is vital to understanding and speaking the language of cyber law.

What is cyber law?

First, however, you need to understand what cyber law is.

At its most basic, it is any litigation, case or legal issue that is affected or impacted in any way by computers or technology. However, with continuous technological advances, data and technology are increasingly the subject matter of disputes or the key to resolving them.

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NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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