Jennifer Scott reports: The government has confirmed plans that will see all phone calls, text messages, emails and visits to websites by members of the public held in a database for one year, but not until after the general election. Dubbed as a “Big Brother” or snooping scheme by critics, the Intercept Modernisation Programme will…
Obama administration tries to vacate adverse rulings
Kim Zetter of Threat Level reports on how the government’s motion to vacate prior rulings in Horn v. Huddle may seriously impact other pending cases such as al-Haramain v. Obama. In Horn v. Huddle, the government settled a 15-year old lawsuit filed by a former DEA agent who claimed he was subjected to illegal eavesdropping….
UK: Libel law reform campaigners seek £10,000 damages cap
English PEN, a charity that promotes the human rights of writers and publishers, and Index on Censorship, a body that promotes freedom of expression, spent a year investigating English libel laws. Their joint report, Free Speech Is Not For Sale, was published today. They say that England’s libel law “was designed to serve the rich…
Privacy Case Flunks ‘Duck Test,’ Court Says
Annie Youderian reports: The 7th Circuit dismissed an invasion-of-privacy class action filed by Illinois citizens who submitted voter registration forms at the state Department of Motor Vehicles. The complaint flunks the “duck test,” Judge Terence Evans wrote, because the lead plaintiff “says, in effect, that if it walks like a duck, swims like a duck,…