On 15 July 2025, Mr Justice Chamberlain handed down judgment in Ministry of Defence v Global Media and Entertainment Ltd and others [2025] EWHC 1806 (KB). The Court discharged a super-injunction, granted on the application of the Ministry of Defence (“MoD”) on 1 September 2023.

The super-injunction dated back to 2022, when an officer of the MoD released a dataset containing personal information and contact details of persons who applied for relocation to the UK from Afghanistan following the Taliban coup in 2021. The loss of this dataset was thought to put thousands at risk of killing or serious violence by the Taliban. Journalists from the Daily Mail and Global Media and Entertainment notified the Claimant of the data breach. On 1st September 2023, Robin Knowles J granted a super-injunction, prohibiting disclosure of the data breach and of the existence of the injunction itself. The super-injunction has been described as “unprecedented”. Doughty Street has a summary here. Mishcon de Reya has a summary here. The Information Commissioner’s Office produced statements here and here. The Daily Mail, The Times, Telegraph, BBC, Guardian, Independent, Press Gazette and Financial Times are some of the many outlets to cover the ruling.

The judgments of the Family Court concerning the children of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, the couple who were this week convicted of gross negligence manslaughter of their newborn baby while living “off grid” in a tent, have been published. In a joint application by the BBC, Times Media, Telegraph Media and Associated Newspapers, the Court held that there was a strong public interest in support of the publication of the judgments which would allow the public to have a full understanding of the proceedings and the decision-making process in the Family Court, which had led to the four older children being removed from their parents’ care and put up for adoption. Doughty Street has a summary here. The BBC, Times and Daily Mail have more information.

Natalie Alkiviadou, of Vanderbilt University, has published a new book entitled Hate Speech and the European Court of Human Rights with Routledge Publishing. It focuses on the caselaw of the Court related to the limits of freedom of expressions in cases of hateful messages. Read the abstract here.

Internet and Social Media

Mark Zuckerberg is expected to appear as a star witness in an unusual $8 billion trial that begins this week, at which the Meta CEO is accused of operating Facebook as an illegal enterprise that allowed users’ data to be harvested without their consent. Shareholders of Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, sued Zuckerberg and other current and former company leaders, saying they continually violated a 2012 agreement between Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission to protect users’ data. The case dates back to 2018, after it emerged that data from millions of Facebook users was accessed by Cambridge Analytica, a now-defunct political consulting firm that worked for Donald Trump’s successful campaign for US president in 2016. Reuters has more information here.

Privacy International (“PI”) has an article on the deployment of “abusive techniques” by Meta and Yandex to track users outside of their apps without users’ consent and knowledge. PI says attack is the latest innovation in the surveillance advertising market and follows a long history of abuses by the industry driving online advertising. PI warns that surveillance advertising continues to incentivise invasive data collection at the expense of people’s privacy.

Data Privacy and Data Protection

PI also has an article asking whether early steps into agentic AI respects privacy and security. PI analysed OpenAI’s early claims that “you’re always in control” and found that there is great risk that these firms and the data these tools collect will become targets for data exploitation.

Surveillance

The Register has an article exploring what the viral Coldplay affair jumbotron shows about society’s acceptance of surveillance. The embracing couple would not have been remarkable, if not for the pair panicking and rushing to hide, triggering attendees to publish the memorable moment on social media. The pair did not remain anonymous for long, with the internet quickly identifying the man as the CEO of data infrastructure outfit Astronomer, Andy Byron. Byron has since stepped down because of the incident, according to a statement on LinkedIn; the company has also said no other employee was in the video.

Newspapers, Journalism and Regulation

Actress Leslie Ash has highlighted disturbing new revelations about the extent of phone hacking she and her family endured during her health crisis. Speaking on a recent podcast (“How do you cope?”, with John Robins), Ms Ash disclosed that not only was her own phone hacked, but criminals also targeted her teenage son. “My youngest son’s phone had been hacked,” Ash revealed, describing how her son, then just 14 or 15 years old, received a suspicious call from someone claiming to represent Madonna, attempting to obtain their private address. Hacked Off has more information here.

Hacked Off also has an article arguing that The Times has cynically misrepresented the impact of junior doctor strikes. On 17 July 2025, a frontpage article declared: “Walkouts by junior doctors led to deaths of five patients.” The article goes on to say that this claim is based on an audit of coroners’ reports, which they have “seen” but do not publish. Hacked Off explains that the reality is very different to what the newspaper has reported.

Events 

Registration is now open for the annual Data Protection Practitioners’ Conference hosted by the Information Commissioner’s Office on Tuesday 14 October 2025. It is open to professionals in any sector and will cover current data protection issues. Register here.

IPSO

Statements in Open Court and Apologies

We are not aware of any apologies or statements in open court from the last week.

New Issued Cases

There was one defamation (libel and slander) claim filed on the media and communications list last week.

Last Week in the Courts

On 14 July 2025, judgment on costs was handed down by Hill J in Wei & Ors v Long & Ors [2025] EWHC 1799 (KB). The general rule in CPR 38.6 applied and the Claimants were ordered to pay D3’s costs incurred for the harassment, defamation, malicious falsehood and various privacy-related claims on or before the date on which the Notice of Discontinuance was served [99].

Between 14 July and 18 July 2025, there was a trial in the case of Hegab (“Hijab”) v The Spectator (1828) Ltd and another KB-2023-003636.  There was a news item on the 5RB website and reports of the trial on Jewish News, here and here.

As mentioned above, on 15th July 2025, Chamberlain J handed down judgment in Ministry of Defence v Global Media and Entertainment Ltd and others [2025] EWHC 1806 (KB). 

On 15 July, judgment on preliminary issues was handed down by Heather Williams J in Ness v Miller [2025] EWHC 1784 (KB). The claim was for libel, false imprisonment and breach of the UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018. The libel claim relates to a YouTube video first published on 3 February 2024 and to five emails sent in the period 10 February – 8 March 2024. The Defendant accepted that she spoke the words the Claimant relies upon in the YouTube video, but denies that she was involved in the publication of the emails. The case was dismissed because the Claimant is not able to show that the words complained of referred to him [91]. The libel claim will not proceed but the parties were granted an opportunity to make submissions on the remaining claims of false imprisonment and Data Protection and other consequential matters (costs and permission to appeal).

On Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 July, there was a 1.5 day hearing of applications in the case of KB-2022-004388 Andrew Hale-Byrne v Secretary of State for Business & Trade.

On Friday 18 July, there was a one day application for a split trial and a stay in the case of Odey v Financial Times Limited KB-2024-001562.

Media Law in Other Jurisdictions

Canada

The Michael Geist blog has an post on the Canadian Government’s “incoherent” approach to TikTok.

France

Microsoft France’s legal director conceded under sworn testimony that the company cannot guarantee French citizen data stored in EU data centres remains protected from US agency access. During proceedings before the Senate inquiry commission investigating public procurement’s role in promoting digital sovereignty, Anton Carniaux admitted fundamental limitations regarding data protection guarantees. When asked directly whether he could guarantee under oath that French citizen data would never be transmitted to US authorities without explicit French authorization, Carniaux responded: “No, I cannot guarantee it.” PPC Land has more information here.

Ireland

Cearta.ie provides three updates on last week’s post, which argued that the Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024 fails to protect public interest speech, in particular by providing inadequate protections against strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPS).

Uganda

Uganda’s Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO) has ruled that Google LLC is a data controller/collector subject to the country’s Data Protection and Privacy Act. In the 18 July 2025 decision, the regulator declared Google in breach for operating without PDPO registration and for transferring Ugandans’ data abroad “without demonstrating adequate safeguards”. It ordered the firm to register within 30 days, name a local Data Protection Officer and file a cross‑border‑transfer compliance framework, warning that continued non‑compliance could attract daily fines or jail terms. The PDPO stressed that the Act applies extra‑territorially to any entity monetising Ugandan users, citing Google’s local tax presence as proof of regulatory reach. Read more and access the PDPO’s 13-page statement on LinkedIn.

United States

Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed into law S.B. 1188, a bill that regulates the security and storage of electronic health record data and the deployment of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in the health care context.  The law creates a data localization requirement, obligating covered entities to physically maintain electronic health records in the United States.  In addition, the law permits health care practitioners to use AI for diagnostic purposes in connection with electronic health records only in accordance with specified requirements. The Privacy and Information Security Law Blog has more information here.

The Trump Administration is handing over the personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients to federal immigration officials who seek to track down people living in the US illegally. The huge trove of private information, which includes home addresses, social security numbers and ethnicities of 79 million Medicaid enrollees, will allow officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement greater latitude to locate immigrants they suspect are undocumented, according to an agreement signed this week between the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security and obtained by the Associated Press. The Los Angeles Times has more information here.

The Evan Law blog has an article exploring the recent case of Malia LLC v State Farm, which considered whether generative AI could turn hearsay into admissible evidence.

Tesla has been awarded sanctions where the opposing party cited AI-generated cases in a discovery briefing. Although plaintiff was not a lawyer, the court held that pro se litigants must still follow the rules and act professionally. The court emphasized that submitting hallucinated cases, even unintentionally, undermines the judicial process.

Research and Resources

Next Week in the Courts 

On 21 to 24 July 2025 there will be a trial in the case of Naseer v Raja QB-2022-002648 before Richard Spearman KC.

On 21 and 22 July 2025 there will be a two day hearing in the case of Steadman v Systmz KB-2024-002972 before Nicklin J.

On Wednesday 23 July 2024 Aidan Eardley KC will hear an application in the case of Ponting v Wilby KB-2024-003985.

On Thursday 24 July 2024 Aidan Eardley KC will hear an application in the case of Hargreaves v Dixon KB-2025-002142

Reserved Judgments

Hegab (“Hijab”) v The Spectator (1828) Ltd, 14-18 July 2025 (Johnson J)

Chaudry v Qureshi, 7 – 10 July 2025, (Heather Williams J).

Kul and Ors v DWF Law LLP – 4 and 5 June 2025 (Eady J).

Clarke v Guardian News and Media, 4 March – 4 April and 11 April 2025 (Steyn J).

Colette Allen is the host of Newscast on Dr Thomas Bennett and Professor Paul Wragg’s The Media Law Podcast (@MediaLawPodcast).