In today's interconnected world, individuals and their businesses face reputational threats that can emerge at any time, from anywhere.
When individuals relocate from the US to the UK, whether driven by professional opportunities, lifestyle changes, or personal preferences, they can face new reputational challenges they haven't dealt with before. It is crucial that they are proactive and take steps to secure their reputation and privacy to avoid harm.
In this article, Andi Terziu outlines some of the key areas to focus on when relocating to the UK and steps individuals should take to protect themselves.
Buying a property in the UK
When relocating to the UK, individuals will often purchase a new property, which can give rise to numerous privacy concerns. Buying, redesigning or renovating a home can expose details of their home to the public in:
- photographs of the property
- the reconstruction/interior design plans of contractors
- marketing materials used by agents.
Not only is this a privacy risk, but it can also cause security concerns.
To minimise risks, individuals should try to put measures in place that control the information about them and their home that might be available or potentially disclosed. This could involve, for example, having sellers, agents, contractors and interior designers sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to keep details of the purchase and any other information confidential.
To control the use of photos, plans and marketing materials, they can also make it a condition of the house purchase that the copyright in all these materials is transferred to them by the relevant copyright owner. Owning the copyright in these materials would allow them to use copyright law to have photos, plans or other marketing materials removed from the internet.
Starting new business relationships
Relocating to the UK often means starting new business relationships or relationships with new professional advisers. Potential new business partners, investors, employees, financial institutions and other stakeholders will decide whether to do business with people partially based on what they read or discover online.
Individuals need to be proactive and assess what information is available online before embarking on any new business or professional relationships. They can procure an investigations company to investigate what information is accessible online via the clear, deep and/or dark web, social media or due diligence platforms.
Once they know exactly what information is available, then can then seek legal advice on whether any inaccurate or damaging online information can be removed or corrected, including potentially via making a ‘right to be forgotten’ request under the UK GDPR to remove false or old data from search engines, websites or databases.
Dealing with the press
If an individual, their family or their business is well known around the world, any negative press elsewhere could be picked up by UK-based media and republished in the UK jurisdiction, potentially damaging their reputation. Even if the media approach them for comment before publication or broadcast, the media often have tight publication and broadcast deadlines, leaving the individual involved in the story with little time to comment pre-publication or pre-broadcast to explain their position.
The publication or broadcast of false allegations, or private or confidential information, can be very damaging to people and businesses, and it is hard to undo this damage after the event. If possible, prevention is far better than cure.
If the media puts allegations to an individual before publication, they should consider the allegations carefully, consider if they are false or private and locate contacts who know the answers to questions being asked. It is also crucial that they take urgent legal or PR advice before responding, as the media can publish a response. Engaging via media lawyers can also help stop or limit a false story and providing a well-crafted statement can balance a one-sided story.
Sometimes, the media do not approach for comment and publish or broadcast inaccurate or damaging allegations without warning. This catches people off guard and an inaccurate story can spread via republication. In this situation, it is recommended that individuals take urgent legal advice on whether there are grounds to persuade the publisher to remove or amend the article, and if appropriate, initiate legal engagement with the media to obtain removal or a correction or apology.
With the help of PR advisers, you may also consider preparing a reactive statement in case the story is republished and a comment is requested.
For more information on reputation management when relocating, you can find our guide to reputation management for UHNW and high-profile individuals here. If you need any further advice, please get in touch.
