Two incidents have stressed the fragility of free speech in Britain in the face of police use of anti-terror legislation to seize materials from journalists and academics. Continue reading
The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog
Tag: RIPA
The Home Affairs Committee (HAC) has now published its report on the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). The chairman of the committee, Keith Vaz, has announced that: Continue reading
In 2008 I defended a journalist called Sally Murrer at Kingston Crown Court. Sally worked for the Milton Keynes Citizen. The Thames Valley Police wanted to identify one of their officers as one of her sources. Continue reading
The press have come together to present a united front following revelations that police have been accessing journalists’ phone records under provisions in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). The unanimous condemnation is in stark contrast to the censorial press coverage of the phone hacking scandal. Continue reading
On 20 October 2014 The Times had an alarming front page story with the headline “Police use loophole to hack phones and email” [£]. It was said that the police were “hacking” into hundreds of people’s voicemails, text messages and emails, using a “loophole” in surveillance laws. The complaint was that, instead of obtaining a warrant from the Home Secretary, the police were “getting round the rules” – by obtaining a production order from a Judge. Continue reading
The current press outrage about police using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIPA) makes for interesting debate. Many are surprised. But it isn’t a new police tactic. It was used at least as far back as Operation Caryatid – the original MPS investigation into phone hacking by Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire. Continue reading
For the first time since the start of the hacking enquiries, the British Press is speaking with one voice in its condemnation of the police use of special powers to investigate journalists’ phone records. Continue reading
In last week’s mitigation by Timothy Langdale QC on behalf of Andy Coulson, it was said that nobody realised that phone hacking was illegal. The implication has been that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (“RIPA”) and the Computer Misuse act were some pieces of law, that nobody realised would actually apply to journalists. Continue reading
The Court of Appeal, Criminal Division, today dismissed appeals by phone hacking defendants from a ruling of Mr Justice Fulford that the interception of previously read voicemails was an offence under section 1(1) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (“RIPA”). The unsuccessful appellants included Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, and Andy Coulson, David Cameron’s former head of communications. Continue reading
In the coming days politicians and security officials on both sides of the Atlantic are going to be forced to explain the revelations in the Guardian and other newspapers about PRISM. This program appears to have been set up to allow the US government access to personal data held by Google, Apple, Facebook and other tech companies. Continue reading
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