On 16 June 2026 Baroness Stowell introduced the Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation Bill (“the Bill”) into the House of Lords. An identical bill has been introduced in the House of Commons by Sir John Whittingdale MP.
Unfortunately, despite its title, the Bill is not focussed on the issue of “SLAPPs” or abusive litigation.  Rather…

Parallel Private Members’ Bills which are said to be aimed at tackling Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) were introduced in both the House of Lords and the House of Commons by Baroness Stowell and Sir John Whittingdale MP.
The proposed legislation would allow courts to dismiss cases where the subject matter of the publication…

American supermodel Tyra Banks faces an uphill battle – perhaps the greatest one since she tried launching “hot ice cream” in Sydney.  Banks is suing Netflix and the directors of Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, a docuseries released by the streamer in February.
She claims the program has defamed her. But…

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 extensive database of international case law. This is its newsletter dealing with recent developments  in the field.
“When a government weaponizes immigration to…

Britain deserves a better press, with standards that put the public first. Phone hacking, lies and the abuse of ordinary people. Disinformation on critical public issues, from climate change to immigration. Harassment and bullying of the bereaved and victims of crime.
Britain’s press is broken. But we have a generational opportunity to fix it —…

As the UK prepares to introduce an “Australia plus” ban on social media for under 16s, many lessons can be learned from Australia’s experiment. Many people may think Australia’s ban is a success, with nearly 5 million social media accounts deactivated, removed or restricted. But the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.
The…

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has today announced a Australian-style ban for Teenagers under the age of 16 from accessing “high-risk” social media apps while safer platforms will be subjected to restrictions. There will blocks on harmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s.  These proposals were made after a consultation on keeping…