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OxHRH

R (Davis): Rights in Communications Data and Constitutional Evolution

Andrew Wheelhouse - 29th July 2015

Media Privacy and Communications

Much ink has been spilt of late over the mass surveillance programs run by western intelligence agencies. A separate, but related, matter of concern for privacy campaigners has been legislation permitting the government to order the retention of communications data by service providers. Following a successful legal challenge, British constitutional law enthusiasts were treated recently […]

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OxHRH

The ‘Anderson Report’ on Surveillance Powers Fudges the Issues, but its Findings Should be Implemented

Andrew Wheelhouse - 26th June 2015

Media Privacy and Communications

Pressure on the government to reform the use of surveillance powers within the UK has recently ratcheted up another notch. A few months ago the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) and the Interception of Communications Commissioner’s Office (ICCO), published reports criticising aspects of the surveillance system. Now David Anderson QC, the Independent Reviewer […]

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OxHRH

Pakistan’s New Cyber Law Puts Civil Liberties and Freedom of Expression in Danger

Nauman Asghar - 1st May 2015

Media Privacy and Communications

On April 16, in Pakistan, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Technology approved the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015. Procedural safeguards and fundamental principles of law have been blatantly disregarded when drafting this cyber law, raising serious concerns over civil liberties, particularly the right to privacy and freedom of expression. The bill […]

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OxHRH

Tentative Reform of State Surveillance Powers in the UK

Andrew Wheelhouse - 14th April 2015

Media Privacy and Communications

Rumblings of discontent have been heard from the supervisory bodies that are entrusted with providing oversight of surveillance operations by UK intelligence agencies. While these demonstrate that the security services do not get everything their own way, the proposals made will likely amount to little more than a tweaking of current extensive surveillance powers. Observers […]

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OxHRH

The ‘Human Rights Human Wrongs’ Exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery: Showcasing the Power and Pitfalls of Photography in Human Rights Struggles

Max Harris - 6th April 2015

Media Privacy and Communications

From 6 February until 6 April, London’s Photographers’ Gallery is playing host to ‘Human Rights Human Wrongs’, an exhibition curated by Mark Sealy. In introducing the exhibition, Sealy says its aim is to redress photography’s Eurocentric and imperialist biases on human rights issues, and to reject the idea that an era or event can be […]

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OxHRH

Free Speech Under the Indian Information Technology Act: The Supreme Court’s Recent Judgment

Gautam Bhatia - 27th March 2015

Media Privacy and Communications

In a landmark judgment on Tuesday, the Indian Supreme Court (PDF of the decision here) struck down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, which criminalised, inter alia, “grossly offensive”, “menacing”, “annoying” and “inconvenient” speech over the internet. In addition, it upheld Section 69A of the same Act, which authorised the blocking of websites, and the rules […]

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OxHRH

Racial Discrimination Act and Free Speech– Carte Blanche or Fair and Reasonable – Where are Human Rights in all This?

Liz Curran - 27th February 2015

Media Privacy and Communications

Professor George Williams has noted ‘the fact that freedom of speech receives no general protection in Australian law is not of itself and argument for introducing such protection’. Unlike in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and New Zealand there is no such right at a national level in Australia. There is a limited […]

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