Liberty has just won major protections for press freedom!

Posted: 21st February 2024

Great news – Liberty has just won major protections for press freedom!

This adds a crucial layer of protection for journalists against unaccountable and intrusive spying by state agencies.

After a Liberty legal challenge, the Government conceded that when security services want to search for confidential journalistic information in the material they collect through bulk hacking, or when they want to retain that information, they need ‘prior independent authorisation’ first – that is, permission from an independent body.

This has been a long, drawn-out battle. The case has dragged on for years, and we’ve seen it through because Liberty’s members and supporters kept us going.

Thank you for everything you have done to support us.

If you haven’t done so yet, please consider becoming a Liberty member from just £1 per month. You’ll help us bring hard-hitting legal cases to challenge the authorities when they undermine fundamental rights like privacy and press freedom.

So, what happens next?

Now the Government has changed its tune, we need Parliament to put the Government’s concession on this point into law.

The requirement for prior independent authorisation before confidential journalistic information collected through bulk hacking can be searched for and retained will be added by an amendment to the Investigatory Powers Act.

An amendment has already gone through the House of Lords, but it still needs to be passed by MPs.

In the meantime, we’ll be pausing this part of our legal case for a few months – watching to ensure the Government’s promises become law and are then put into practice.

In the meantime, thank you very much for reading and staying in touch with Liberty. And if you are able to, please consider becoming a member to support our ongoing legal work.

Best wishes,

Meg Goulding

Lawyer