Daily Mail publisher wins High Court data protection battle
Partner Jessica Welch comments on the High Court’s dismissal of Dale Vince’s data protection claim against Associated Newspapers Limited, in ICLG.
"The law requiring that readers read the whole article (and not just the headline in isolation) is often considered unfair by libel and data protection claimants for understandable reasons. In this case, there will undoubtedly be readers who did not bother to read the entire article who would be left with the impression that the article (and therefore the “sex pest” allegation) was about Mr Vince.
"It is likely that this problem is becoming ever more common in the world of rapid news consumption, with readers glancing at headlines and pictures without reading the whole text. So, the inclusion of a suggestive or misleading photograph alongside a (on the face of it) damaging headline is unlikely to be enough to give rise to a successful claim if the article clarifies what the headline is about.
"Whilst Mr Vince’s claims were unsuccessful, it therefore makes litigation of this nature important given that it has been repeated in the judgments (and therefore hopefully in reporting of the same) that the articles were not about Mr Vince and that he was not the subject of the “sex pest” allegation.
"Given the law’s reliance on readers reading the text in full, but in circumstances where that may not always happen, the judgments are necessary to restate Mr Vince’s position publicly so that he can prove as a matter of fact any allegations to the contrary."
An extract of Jessica’s comments was published in ICLG, 9 June 2025, and can be found here.
