‘The Intelligence Services Commissioner, Sir Mark Waller, gives Law In Action his first broadcast interview.
Sir Mark, a retired judge, is charged with judicial oversight of, among other organisations, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.’
BBC Law in Action,
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A Libyan exile who was abducted in a joint MI6-CIA operation has won the right to bring his claim against the government to court.’
The Guardian, 30th October 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The Home Office has been ordered to release secret legal advice justifying its decision to prevent intercept evidence being used in criminal trials. The ruling by an information tribunal could shine a light on the way intelligence agencies gather and store material as well as on their relationship with law enforcement organisations. The appeal for the advice to be disclosed was made by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law which submitted a Freedom of Information request to uncover the reasoning behind a 2009 report, entitled “Intercept as Evidence”.’
The Guardian, 16th October 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The European Commission must publish documents containing information about the UK’s communications surveillance operations or “properly justify” its reasons not to do so, an EU watchdog has said.’
OUT-LAW.com, 10th October 2014
Source: www.out-law.com
‘The European court of human rights (ECHR) is to investigate British laws that allow GCHQ and police to secretly snoop on journalists. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has gone straight to Strasbourg in a bid to get a finding that domestic law is incompatible with provisions in European law which give journalists the right to keep sources confidential from police and others.’
The Guardian, 15th September 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The introduction of the controversial draft Data Retention Regulations 2014 has already been discussed by my colleague Robin Hopkins in his excellent post last month. The Regulations now have the force of law, having come into force on 31 July 2014 – see the Regulations here. In his post, Robin made the point that, following the judgment in Digital Rights Ireland, there were two methods for curtailing the infringement of privacy rights presupposed by the existing communications data retention (CDR) regime: either cut back on the data retention requirements provided for under the legislation, so as generally to limit the potential for interference with privacy rights, or introduce more robust safeguards with a view to ensuring that any interference with privacy rights is proportionate and otherwise justified. The Government, which has evidently opted for the latter approach in the new Regulations, will now need to persuade a somewhat sceptical public that the safeguards which have been adopted in the legislation strike the right balance as between the protection of privacy rights on the one hand and the imperative to support criminal law enforcement functions on the other.’
Panopticon, 5th August 2014
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
‘Google knows what you’re looking for. Facebook knows what you like. Sharing is the norm, and secrecy is out. But what is the psychological and cultural fallout from the end of privacy?’
The Guardian, 3rd August 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The government is determined to prevent ministers and officials from being accountable to the courts for colluding in wrongdoing abroad even if it involves torture, three of the country’s most senior judges were warned on Monday.’
The Guardian, 21st July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘A damages action brought against the UK over a 2004 rendition case involving a Libyan politician and his wife is being heard at the Court of Appeal later.’
BBC News, 21st July 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Legislation to ensure UK law enforcement and intelligence agencies continue to have access to the vital evidence and information they need to investigate criminal activity, prevent terrorism and protect the public has today (Thursday 17 July) received Royal Assent.’
Home Office, 17th July 2014
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
‘David Anderson says privacy and civil liberties board that is planned to replace his job must have unfettered access.’
The Guardian, 17th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Controversial emergency surveillance legislation has cleared the Commons after an extended sitting and angry exchanges alleging an abuse of parliament.’
The Guardian, 16th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The unveiling last Thursday of a a draft bill on surveillance powers that is to be rushed through Parliament brought to mind the story of the Dutch boy who finds a hole in a dyke on his way to school and puts his finger in it to plug the leak until help arrives to shore it up. The legislation is said to be necessary to plug what the Government regards as holes in the regime of surveillance and investigatory powers pending a full review. The fact that the bill is titled the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill – the “DRIP” bill – may mean I am not the first person to draw the analogy. But the analogy may not be entirely apt. An examination of the DRIP Bill reveals that it is not addressing little holes in the regime but in fact profoundly important and substantial issues.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 14th July 2014
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org/blog
‘The biggest domestic legal challenge to UK intelligence agencies accessing the mass data harvested by the US National Security Agency (NSA) begins on Monday, and may be one reason behind the government’s decision to introduce emergency surveillance laws into parliament next week, campaigners have suggested.’
The Guardian, 11th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘A tribunal is to hear a legal challenge by civil liberty groups against the alleged use of mass surveillance programmes by UK intelligence services.’
BBC News, 14th July 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Ministers are poised to pass emergency laws to require phone companies to log records of phone calls, texts and internet usage, but Labour and Liberal Democrats are warning that they will not allow any new law to become a backdoor route to reinstating a wider “snooper’s charter”.’
The Guardian, 6th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Seven internet service providers have filed a legal complaint against the UK’s intelligence agency GCHQ.’
BBC News, 2nd July 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Britain’s security and intelligence agencies should consider how far they are invading people’s privacy when they seek permission for intrusive surveillance, their government-appointed watchdog has recommended.’
The Guardian, 26th June 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Theresa May is continuing to push for a change in the law to give police and security services the power to access email and social media.’
BBC News, 25th June 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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