Attorney General’s guidelines on information security and government work – Attorney General’s Office

‘Guidelines for civil panel counsel, revised to include the new government security classifications.’

Full guidance

Attorney General’s Office, 18th November 2015

Source: www.gov.uk/ago

MPs to assess technological feasibility of requirements under proposed new surveillance laws – OUT-LAW.com

‘MPs at the UK parliament will assess whether it is technologically feasible for companies to comply with new communication surveillance laws that have been proposed.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 13th November 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Sir Brian Leveson: Security and Justice – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen’s Bench Division gave the 13th Annual Isaiah Berlin Lecture in London on 12 November 2015.’

Full text

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 13th November 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Jack Straw and senior spy could avoid torture prosecution – The Guardian

‘The former foreign secretary Jack Straw and Sir Mark Allen, a former senior MI6 officer, could avoid prosecution over complicity in the rendition and torture of two Libyan dissidents by claiming immunity, the supreme court has been told.’

Full story

The Guardian, 11th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK surveillance bill could bring ‘very dire consequences’, warns Apple chief – The Guardian

‘Apple’s chief executive has sharply criticised surveillance powers proposed by the British government, warning that allowing spies a backdoor route into citizens’ communications could have “very dire consequences”.’

Full story

The Guardian, 10th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK surveillance powers explained – BBC News

‘A new law setting out what powers the UK state will have to monitor communications between citizens is set to be unveiled. How will it work?’

Full story

BBC News, 4th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Giving judges power to grant spying warrants instead of ministers would be ‘glib’ says ex anti-terror adviser – The Independent

‘Putting judges in charge of issuing surveillance warrants would fail because they lack the sufficient knowledge of national security issues, the Government’s former anti-terror adviser has said.’

Full story

The Independent, 2nd November 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Investigatory powers bill: snooper’s charter to remain firmly in place – The Guardian

Posted November 3rd, 2015 in bills, intelligence services, internet, investigatory powers, news, privacy by sally

‘The key elements of the snooper’s charter, including the bulk collection and storage for 12 months of everyone’s personal data, tracking their use of the web, phones and social media, will remain firmly in place when the government publishes its new investigatory powers bill on Wednesday.’

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Theresa May faces fight over web browsing access – The Guardian

Posted November 3rd, 2015 in bills, intelligence services, internet, investigatory powers, news, privacy, reports by sally

‘The home secretary, Theresa May, should not seek to give the intelligence agencies full access to an individual’s web browsing history, Labour and the former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg are both likely to say when the government publishes its draft investigatory powers bill on Wednesday.’

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court of Appeal hears government surveillance law case – BBC News

‘Judges have begun hearing a government appeal against a ruling that its surveillance legislation is unlawful.’

Full story

BBC News, 22nd October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Charity Commission and terrorism suspect campaigners Cage in high court – The Guardian

‘The right to fund unpopular causes is at the heart of a key case heard in the high court on Wednesday, in a legal battle that pits controversial campaigners Cage against the charity regulator.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New laws to allow spies to hack people’s smartphones and computers – Daily Telegraph

‘The investigatory powers bill will give greater powers to MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, according to reports.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 21st October 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Secret court case application numbers more than double in a year – The Guardian

Posted October 16th, 2015 in closed material, intelligence services, news, public interest, statistics by sally

‘The number of official applications for secret court hearings more than doubled in the past year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice.’

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The Guardian, 15th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lord chief justice: security services cannot be above the law – The Guardian

‘The accountability of MI5 and MI6 and the question of whether they are fully subject to the rule of law lie at the heart of attempts by the media to sweep away the secrecy surrounding a major terrorism trial, the lord chief justice said on Monday. In a series of remarks that disclosed publicly for the first time the role that the UK’s security and intelligence agencies played in imposing secrecy on the trial of Erol Incedal, a London law student, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd told the court of appeal that public confidence in the way they do their work was a key issue in the case.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK court drops extradition case against Rwandan spy chief – The Guardian

Posted August 11th, 2015 in extradition, intelligence services, news, terrorism, war crimes by sally

‘A British court has freed Rwanda’s intelligence chief Karenzi Karake and dismissed an extradition case against him, officials said on Monday.’

Full story

The Guardian, 10th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Kiani v Secretary of State for the Home Department – WLR Daily

Kiani v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] EWCA Civ 776; [2015] WLR (D) 325

‘The requirements of the right to a fair trial in article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms depended on the context and all the circumstances of the case. In a security case an individual was not entitled to full article 6 rights if to accord him such rights would jeopardise the efficacy of the vetting regime itself. The same approach was taken under European Union law.’

WLR Daily, 21st July 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

What is the Wilson doctrine? The story behind MPs’ protection from snooping – The Guardian

‘The convention, outlined by former Labour PM Harold Wilson, says intelligence agencies should not bug MPs, but that hasn’t stopped such behaviour occurring.’

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd July 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Surveillance of MPs’ data challenged – BBC News

‘Three politicians will challenge the lawfulness of the intelligence services’ bulk interception of electronic data at a hearing later.’

Full story

BBC News, 23rd July 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Cyber-jihadist Babar Ahmad released – BBC News

Posted July 20th, 2015 in extradition, intelligence services, internet, news, terrorism by tracey

‘A British man jailed in the US over a website considered to be a key moment in the birth of the internet jihad has returned home.’

Full story

BBC News, 19th July 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

High court to rule on MPs’ claim that data retention act damages privacy – The Guardian

‘High court judges will give their decision on Friday on an accusation that the government has imposed laws which allow the police and security services to “spy on citizens” without proper safeguards.’

Full story

The Guardian, 17th July 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk