Ofcom steps up Online Safety Act enforcement with two further age-assurance fines for pornographic platforms – Alexandros Antoniou
Ofcom has continued to tighten enforcement of the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA) in relation to online pornography, issuing two further penalties in February 2026…
Law and Media Round Up – 9 March 2026
The final hearing before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the claim brought by Vincent Kearney and the BBC against MI5, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Metropolitan Police Service, Durham Constabulary and others concluded on 3 March 2926. The…
Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University: Newsletter, 5 March 2026
Columbia Global Freedom of Expression seeks to contribute to the development of an integrated and progressive jurisprudence and understanding on freedom of expression and information around the world. It maintains an…
Two Cameras, Two Rules: Should Law Reform Cover Private Facial Recognition? – William Page
In December 2025, the Home Office opened a consultation on potential avenues for a new legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition, and similar technologies.
Events: Press Justice Project – Off the Record: Police, the Press and Public Accountability
On 18 March 2026, the Press Justice Project will host Off the Record in London — a half-day conference examining the evolving relationship between police and the press at a time of significant legal and…
Law and Media Round Up – 2 March 2026
Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video and Disney+ are to come under “enhanced regulation” by the UK media regulator, Ofcom, making the streaming giants subject to the same scrutiny as traditional broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV. This change stems from the Media…
OpenClaw and Moltbook: why a DIY AI agent and social media for bots feel so new (but really aren’t) – Daniel Binns
If you’re following AI on social media, even lightly, you will likely have come across OpenClaw. If not, you will have heard one of its previous names, Clawdbot or Moltbot.
Inforrm – Happy Sixteenth Birthday
The Inforrm Blog's sixteenth birthday was on just over a month ago, on 22 January 2026. Our first post had 7 page views was the only post that month. Sixteen years later, we have had more than 6,500 posts and 7 million page views.
Law and Media Round Up – 23 February 2026
The government announced plans to strengthen children’s online safety, including amending the Crime and Policing Bill to bring AI chatbot providers within scope of the Online Safety Act 2023’s illegal content duties and introducing new powers in the…
Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University: Newsletter, 19 February 2026
Columbia Global Freedom of Expression seeks to contribute to the development of an integrated and progressive jurisprudence and understanding on freedom of expression and information around the world. It maintains an…
Is it illegal to make online videos of someone without their consent? The law on covert filming – Subhajit Basu
Imagine a stranger starts chatting with you on a train platform or in a shop. The exchange feels ordinary. Later, it appears online, edited as “dating advice” and framed to invite…
Law and Media Round Up – 16 February 2026
The UK government has announced a further crackdown on social media firms and AI amid concerns about harmful content targeted at children.
Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University: Newsletter, 12 February 2026
Columbia Global Freedom of Expression seeks to contribute to the development of an integrated and progressive jurisprudence and understanding on freedom of expression and information around the world. It maintains an…
Law and Media Round Up – 9 February 2026
The High Court has held ruled that the Police Federation of England and Wales acted unlawfully in suspending two elected Federation Chairs, and barring one from re-election, over comments they made on GB News and social media about racism in policing.
Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University: Newsletter, 5 February 2026
Columbia Global Freedom of Expression seeks to contribute to the development of an integrated and progressive jurisprudence and understanding on freedom of expression and information around the world. It maintains an…
Press Regulation: New Poll finds that 71% of public back independent press regulation
A substantial majority of the British public believe that newspapers and news websites should be regulated by an independent body, according to new public polling.
United States: Trump lawsuits seek to muzzle media, posing serious threat to free press – Kathy Kiely and Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky
In December 2025, President Donald Trump filed a US$10 billion lawsuit against the BBC in a federal court in Florida. It was only the latest in a long series of…
Law and Media Round Up – 2 February 2026
On Tuesday 27 January 2026, the trial of a preliminary issue on limitation in the Mirror Newspapers Hacking Litigation began before Fancourt J. The Mirror Group told the High Court it accepts phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering occurred…
Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University: Newsletter, 29 January 2026
Columbia Global Freedom of Expression seeks to contribute to the development of an integrated and progressive jurisprudence and understanding on freedom of expression and information around the world. It maintains an…
Law and Media Round Up – 26 January 2026
The highly anticipated trial of Lawrence and ors v Associated News Ltd (ANL) KB-2022-003316 began on Monday 19 January 2026. The claimants are Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Elizabeth Hurley, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Sir Simon Hughes, Prince Harry and…
Australia: With its new laws, the government is tackling hate speech quickly, but not properly – Keiran Hardy
On Tuesday, in response to the Bondi terrorist attack and mounting pressure to take strong action, the Albanese government released draft legislation to counter hate crime and strengthen…
Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University: Newsletter, 22 January 2026
Columbia Global Freedom of Expression seeks to contribute to the development of an integrated and progressive jurisprudence and understanding on freedom of expression and information around the world. It maintains an…
I research the harm that can come to teenagers on social media. I don’t support a ban – Emily Setty
The UK government has launched a consultation on introducing an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s. The proposal is framed as a bold response to rising concerns about young people’s…
Ransomware: what it is and why it’s your problem – Thembekile Olivia Mayayise
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that makes a victim’s data, system or device inaccessible. It locks the target or encrypts it (converting text into an unreadable form) until the victim pays a ransom to the…
Law and Media Round Up – 19 January 2026
The highly anticipated trial of Lawrence and ors v Associated News Ltd (ANL) KB-2022-003316 will begin on Monday 19 January 2026. The claimants are Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Elizabeth Hurley, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Sir Simon Hughes, Prince Harry and…
Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University: Newsletter, 16 January 2026
Columbia Global Freedom of Expression seeks to contribute to the development of an integrated and progressive jurisprudence and understanding on freedom of expression and information around the world. It maintains an…
‘A blueprint for permanent decline’: the Government’s Green Paper on BBC Charter renewal, Part 2 – Tom Chivers
In 2020 Lisa Nandy argued for mutualisation of the BBC, saying that it had a duty to “be accountable to those who fund it”: “Instead of tokenistic consultation with the people who pay for…
‘A blueprint for permanent decline’: the Government’s Green Paper on BBC Charter renewal, Part 1 – Tom Chivers
Back in December, DCMS officially launched the process of renewing the BBC’s Royal Charter, with the publication of a Green Paper detailing the Government’s areas of focus for BBC…
Law and Media Round Up – 12 January 2026
Happy New Year to all readers. The Hilary Term begins on Monday 12 January 2026 and runs to Wednesday 16 April 2026. This Round Up covers news items since our last edition on 15 December 2025.
Top 10 Privacy and Data Protection Cases 2025 – a selection
Inforrm covered a wide range of data protection and privacy cases in 2025. Following our posts in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 , 2022 and 2023 here is our selection of notable privacy and data protection cases from England and Wales, the…
