New laws on extremism are a crackdown too far – Daily Telegraph
‘A crackdown on “extremist” ideology threatens to criminalise previously orthodox views such as opposition to gay marriage.’
Daily Telegraph, 5th August 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Category: investigatory powers
Beghal v Director of Public Prosecutions (Secretary of State for the Home Department and others intervening) – WLR Daily
‘The provisions in Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 conferring powers to stop, question, and detain a person at a port or border for up to nine hours— without any requirement for prior “reasonable suspecion”— for the purpose of determining whether he appeared to be a person concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism were not incompatible with articles 5, 6 or 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.’
WLR Daily, 22nd July 2015
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Covert surveillance activities need independent oversight, says expert – OUT-LAW.com
‘The use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) for covert surveillance should be overseen by independent judges to ensure the appropriate legislation is being used, an expert has said.’
OUT-LAW.com, 23rf July 2015
Source: www.out-law.com
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.’
The Guardian, 23rd July 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Britain told to review counter-terrorism powers by UN human rights committee – The Guardian
‘Britain should review its key counter-terrorism powers and revise laws on snooping by security services, a UN report has suggested.’
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.’
BBC News, 23rd July 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The Sun launches human rights legal challenge against Metropolitan Police over phone records search – The Independent
‘A legal challenge against the Metropolitan Police by The Sun newspaper – where three reporters say their human rights were breached during the ‘plebgate’ affair – has started at the High Court.’
The Independent, 20th July 2015
Source: www.independent.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.’
The Guardian, 17th July 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Review of possible miscarriages of justice – Attorney General’s Office
‘Mark Ellison QC and Alison Morgan’s review on the impact of undisclosed undercover police activity on the safety of convictions.’
Attorney General’s Office, 16th July 2015
Source: www.gov.uk/ago
Met police to face tribunal over decision to access Plebgate phone records – The Guardian
‘The Metropolitan police is being taken to court in a landmark case over its decision to secretly obtain journalists’ phone records in an attempt to identify the mole behind the Plebgate saga involving the then cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell.’
The Guardian, 14th July 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Privacy campaigners win concessions in UK surveillance report – The Guardian
‘Privacy campaigners have secured significant concessions in a key report into surveillance by the British security agencies published on Tuesday. The 132-page report, A Democratic Licence To Operate, which Nick Clegg commissioned last year in the wake of revelations by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden, acknowledges the importance of privacy concerns.’
The Guardian, 14th July 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Met police to step up targeted stop and search amid surge in knife-crime – The Guardian
‘The Metropolitan police are to step up their use of targeted stop-and-search operations in high knife-crime areas of London due to a recent rise in stabbings in the capital.’
The Guardian, 22nd June 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Paul Bernal: Privacy, Surveillance and Brexit…. – UK Constitutional Law Association
An Englishman’s home is his castle, so the old saying goes, and it might be thought that the implication is that the English place a special importance on privacy. The reverse, however, seems to be the case, when the law is considered – for much of the law that provides protection for our privacy, particularly in relation to surveillance, does not originate in the UK but in Europe. With the perfect storm of possible ‘Brexit’ and the potential repeal of the Human Rights Act (HRA), that might leave our privacy in an even more precarious state than it currently is. The so-called ‘British Bill of Rights’ has yet to see the light of day: one of the key questions could be what provision it makes for privacy, particularly in relation to the internet and other forms of communications.
Full story
UK Constitutional Law Association, 18th June 2015
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
Independent reviewer recommends redraft of UK surveillance laws – OUT-LAW.com
‘Existing UK surveillance laws should be scrapped and replaced by a “comprehensive and comprehensible new law…drafted from scratch”, the barrister appointed to review UK terrorism legislation has said.’
OUT-LAW.com, 16th June 2015
Source: www.out-law.com
Britain Can Lead the World In Online Privacy – UK Human Rights Blog
‘British legal history has long inspired the common law world. The Magna Carta, an 800-year-old agreement between a King and his barons, remains an icon of liberty, seen around the world as the foundation stone of the rule of law. In contrast, British law on online surveillance and privacy has been arcane and obscure – a field that is for reluctant experts if it is for anyone at all.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 13th June 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
What to look out for in Britain’s new surveillance bill – The Guardian
‘The government intends wholesale reform, but will it perpetuate a dark history of invasion of privacy or follow the US example, and end invasive surveillance?’
The Guardian, 5th June 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Legal challenge against Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act reaches High Court – OUT-LAW.com
‘A legal challenge fronted by two UK MPs against communications surveillance laws passed last year has reached the High Court.’
OUT-LAW.com, 4th June 2015
Source: www.out-law.com
Emergency surveillance law faces legal challenge by MPs – BBC News
‘The High Court is to hear a legal challenge to the government’s emergency surveillance law brought by two MPs.’
BBC News, 4th June 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The police ask to look at our private messages once every 120 seconds – The Independent
‘Police officers in the UK ask for permission to monitor use of emails, text messages and internet searches once every two minutes, a new report has disclosed.’
The Independent, 1st June 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
UK police requests to access phone calls or emails are granted 93% of the time – The Guardian
‘Ministers are facing calls to curb the scale of police access to private phone and email records, after a report by privacy campaigners found officers were making a request every two minutes and getting access in 93% of cases.’
The Guardian, 1st June 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
