Russian bots and the expansion of human rights law to keep pace with tech

When will the Courts extend human rights law principles in order to keep up with emerging technology?  The Strasbourg Court gave us some answers in Bradshaw & Others v United Kingdom (app no. 15653/22) .  However, they may not have been the last word, because this week, the Applicants have sought a referral to the Grand Chamber.

The claim

A group of MPs argued that the Government was not doing enough to combat Russian interference in UK elections, including in the 2019 general election.  They were concerned with credible allegations that Russia had engaged in deliberate cyber-attacks against election infrastructure, “hack and leak” operations, and the use of “cyber troops” and “troll farms” to manipulate public discourse and to sow discord between social groups.

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Information requests, purdah and the pre-election period

With a variety of local and regional elections coming up in May, and the EU referendum in June, purdah and the sensitivity of the pre-election period is at the forefront of many people’s minds. So how does this work with the handling of FoI requests by public authorities and national Commissioners? The issue hit the headlines Continue reading