Surveillance

The UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has today begun examining the PSNI surveillance complaint brought by investigative journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey. The two journalists were arrested in 2018 following the release of No Stone Unturned, their documentary about the 1994 Loughi

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has been granted permission to intervene in the PSNI surveillance case before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) in London. The IPT is examining alleged unlawful covert surveillance of journalists in a case brought by Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney, wh

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has instructed Belfast solicitor Olivia O'Kane as it seeks to intervene in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) proceedings examining alleged unlawful covert surveillance of journalists by the PSNI. Ms O'Kane, a partner at DWF, has prepared detailed submiss

A PSNI report on the use of covert surveillance against journalists and lawyers has not provided adequate reassurances, the Northern Ireland Policing Board has said. The 60-page report, published yesterday, states firmly: "The central public concern has been that there was widespread, and unjustifie

London lawyer Angus McCullough KC has been appointed by the PSNI to conduct an independent review of the force's alleged use of surveillance against journalists, lawyers and NGOs. The PSNI's chief constable, Jon Boutcher, this week denied that documents published in the course of proceedings before

The UK violated the privacy rights of two people whose communications were intercepted and accessed in the UK, despite them both being non-UK nationals living outside of UK borders, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. US national Joshua Wieder and Italian national Claudio Guarnieri, both r

MI5 intentionally broke the law to acquire vast amounts of data on the UK public for more than a decade, a tribunal has heard. At the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, human rights groups Liberty and Privacy International alleged that MI5 was aware it was consistently breaking laws and safeguards on ga

UK government plans to require judicial authorisation before intelligence services can intercept and retain confidential material held by journalists has been welcomed as a victory for press freedom. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) today welcomed the government's announcement, which comes ah

Human rights lawyers are among tens of thousands of people whose phones were allegedly targeted with spyware made by an Israeli company and sold to law enforcement agencies worldwide, according to a major investigation. Dozens of journalists co-ordinated by Forbidden Stories with technical support f

A privacy rights group has succeeded in having part of a tribunal decision on the use of wide-ranging warrants by UK intelligence services quashed in its application for judicial review in an English court. Privacy International sought review of a 2016 decision by the Investigatory Powers

MI6 has been forced to apologise to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal after two of its officers asked court staff to return documents relating to MI6’s use of agents and not show them to judges. The tribunal suggested MI6’s actions were “inappropriate interference”. The revel

Bulk interception by the South African National Communications Centre is unlawful and invalid, the High Court in Pretoria has ruled in a historic judgment. The case was brought by two applicants, the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism and journalist Stephen Patrick Sole, after learning

The use of facial recognition technology by police to search for people in crowds is lawful, the High Court has ruled. Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, sitting with Mr Justice Swift in Cardiff dismissed a challenge brought by Ed Bridges, a former Liberal Democrat councillor from the city, who was represent

Liberty has lost a High Court challenge against the UK's surveillance laws, saying that the ruling allowed the government “to spy on every one of us”. The rights group had challenged parts of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA), known to its critics as the "snoopers' charter", a

The UK government’s bulk surveillance powers will be examined by the highest chamber of the European Court of Human Rights this week, the latest stage in a long-running legal battle over the UK’s use of previously-secret surveillance powers and its sharing of massive amounts of private c