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Apr 29 • 5 tweets • 5 min read
🔴 NEW London is a hotspot for legal threats against journalists according to new report from @FPCThinkTank & @article19org staff

We spoke to FPC's @skcoughtrie & journalists @pcaruanagalizia & @RewcastleBrown about corrosive impact this has on public interest reporting 👇🧵
Recent high-profile #SLAPP cases involving @carolecadwalla, @CatherineBelton & @tomburgis are ‘tip of the iceberg’ according to London Calling report, with many cases never reaching court due to threat of astronomical legal fees

fpc.org.uk/publications/l…
The EU has just announced plans to protect journalists from vexatious lawsuits often brought by wealthy individuals or businesses to shut down scrutiny. But most legal threats originate in 🇬🇧, the so-called 'libel capital of the world'
theguardian.com/media/2022/apr…
In March the UK gov launched a consultation to clamp down on libel #lawfare being used to silence journalists. Proposals include cost capping, strengthening the ‘public interest defence’ & requiring claimants to prove ‘actual malice’
theguardian.com/law/2022/mar/1…
But #pressfreedom campaigners are also calling for far greater oversight of 🇬🇧 law firms & PR companies offering ‘reputation laundering’ services to oligarchs, to ensure #dirtymoney is not being used to stifle investigations into corruption

lawgazette.co.uk/law/aggressive…

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More from @allthecitizens

The Citizens Profile picture
Apr 30
🚨NEW: ‘Poor’ handling of Freedom of Information requests by Government spurs call from MPs for an independent audit. THREAD: Image
The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee has concluded that greater transparency is needed from the government to restore trust in its handling of FOI requests, following an inquiry into the ‘Clearing House’ unit based in the Cabinet Office.
In the wake of a string of revelations from @openDemocracy in uncovering the secretive Clearing House, which coordinates responses to certain FOI requests, yesterday’s report found the government to be acting in ways ‘inconsistent with the spirit and principles’ of FOI law.
Read 9 tweets
The Citizens Profile picture
Apr 28
🚨 The #ElectionsBill that undermines Elections and Democracy

What has the government been up to sneakily? 🧐

A THREAD.

Elections bill was supposed to look after the “administration and conduct of elections” & strengthen “the integrity of the electoral process”. But this Bill (now Act) undermines both the Electoral Commission that looks after this process & principles of free & fair elections /2
After going through the Commons, the controversial bill reached the Lords. On Monday, Lords voted to remove some of the provisions in the bill that were deemed harmful and which undermined the Electoral Commission’s independence. /3
theguardian.com/politics/2022/…
Read 9 tweets
The Citizens Profile picture
Apr 28
🚨NEW 🚨

#Femi Fact Checks Latest PMQs... 🧐

In which, among other whoppers, Boris Johnson claims that govt did not know about asymptomatic Covid spread➡️20k deaths

Watch @Femi_Sorry rip apart his lies
We at @allthecitizens are journalists reporting on data abuse, disinformation & threats to democracy, while investigating government & big-tech for their part in it.

If you would like to support our work, please head to ko-fi.com/thecitizens

We appreciate the caffeination😊
Gov policies on discharging untested patients from hospital to care homes in England from March 2020 have been ruled unlawful by the High Court.
The SAGE scientific advisory group said "asymptomatic transmission cannot be ruled out" in early February.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan…
Read 4 tweets
The Citizens Profile picture
Apr 27
🚨NEW: No 10 delays saying how many of Johnson's WhatsApp messages have been saved for posterity, citing national security concerns.

A 🧵...

bylinetimes.com/2022/04/27/gov…
The Cabinet Office has said that they cannot state, for the moment, how many of the WhatsApp messages that Boris Johnson sent in 2021 have been saved for posterity, citing “national security”
When asked under Freedom of Information (FOI) how many of the Prime Minister’s WhatsApp messages were saved that were relevant to the public record in 2021, the Cabinet Office replied that it requires “further time to consider the public interest test”.
Read 14 tweets
The Citizens Profile picture
Apr 27
🚨NEW: Palantir have been awarded a new contract with the Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities to implement a 'Ukrainian Humanitarian Relief Case Management System' 🧵
Spy-tech firm Palantir Technologies, the data-mining company with ties to Donald Trump and US immigration authorities work detaining migrants families, has been handed a contract to help the UK government respond to the refugee crisis in Ukraine.
contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/0c8c012…
The work will see Palantir ‘assist with the collation, secure transmission and sharing of your personal data with local authorities in England and devolved assemblies’ under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, where DLUHC and the Home Office are data controllers
gov.uk/guidance/homes…
Read 20 tweets
The Citizens Profile picture
Apr 26
🚨NEW: Controversial US data firm Palantir looks set to win £230m deal for a ‘Federated Data Platform’ for NHS England, as company hires ex-NHSX ‘AI leader’ head Indra Joshi

Experts question lack of public consultation concerning ‘spy tech’ firm embedding in UK health service🧵
The contract, reported by first Digital Health, states NHS England is seeking ‘a Federated Data Platform (FDP), which will be an essential enabler to transform improvements across the NHS’. This platform will have 5 “use cases”
digitalhealth.net/2022/04/nhs-en…
The notice states that ‘suppliers are invited to participate in NHS England’s pre-market consultation’ that this is ‘NOT a call for competition
contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/10fdfaf…
Read 17 tweets

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