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 mental health, online abuse and exposure to harmful content.

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 attacker.

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 Sadie Frost Law. The trial is listed for 10 weeks.

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.

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 it, and backroom negotiations with the government, the BBC should move to a model of being owned and directed by licence fee holders – who can help decide the trade-offs that the BBC must make to secure its future.

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 reform – along with a public consultation inviting the public’s responses to these proposals.

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.

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 ECtHR, the CJEU, Australia and Canada in 2025.

Over the course of 2025, deepfakes improved dramatically. AI-generated faces, voices and full-body performances that mimic real people increased in quality far beyond what even many experts expected would be the case just a few years ago. They were also increasingly used to deceive people.

Inforrm reported on a large number of defamation cases from around the world in 2024.  Following a now established tradition, with our widely read posts on 2017,  2018,  2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 defamation cases, we present our own eccentric selection of legally and factually interesting cases from England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Florida from the past year.

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.

On 15 December 2025, President Donald Trump issued a claim for defamation and deceptive and unfair trade practices, claiming damages of "not less than" $5 billion, interest, costs punitive damages and attorney's fees for each cause of action.

It seems everyday new applications and new threats emerge from the AI world. This applies in particular to creators who see growing AI challenges to their livelihoods; graphic art and album covers spat out by AI generators; voice actors replaced by AI clones; authors struggling to make their works known in a sea of AI-generated slop; now AI artists are even making the Billboard charts.

Reddit is asking Australia’s High Court to rule that it’s not a social media platform and therefore should not have to comply with the under-16s social media account ban.

This is the last Law and Media Round Up of 2025.  The Michaelmas Legal Term ends on Friday 19 December 2025 and the Hilary Term commences on Monday 12 January 2025 when we will publish our next round up.

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.

Remember when Twitter used to be good? I reckon it peaked somewhere around the first COVID lockdowns.  In those days, there was a running gag on the site where everyone would refer to it as a “hellscape”. And it did invite some of the worst that humanity has to offer. Opinions, as the old joke goes, are like assholes: everybody has one.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (“SDT”)  has today dismissed all allegations made by the SRA against Christopher Hutchings, a partner at Hamlins LLP, following a “SLAPP” complaint.

Ofcom has issued its first major fine under the Online Safety Act 2023. The AVS Group Ltd – which runs 18 adult websites – has been fined £1 million for not having robust age checks in place, plus £50,000 for failing to respond to information requests. The regulator has also reported on how the online safety landscape is changing…

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.

On 22 October 2025, ICC Judge Burton handed down judgment In the matter of Siobhain Crosbie  EWHC 2917 (Ch).  The Petitioning Creditor, Caroline Ley, had presented a bankruptcy petition against Ms Crosbie for £237,753.78 arising from an unpaid, post-trial, High Court Judgment debt and costs order in libel and harassment.

Two teenagers are taking the federal government to the High Court. They argue the ban on social media accounts for under-16s is unconstitutional because it interferes with free political communication.  The ban is due to take effect on December 10.  Will the High Court challenge make any difference?

Recently, I have been reminded of a quote: "You can become so single-minded in the defence of your own principles that you forget to follow them". I first heard those words spoken by Joe Turner, a (fictional) CIA agent, describing treachery amongst his bosses.

On Tuesday, 25 November 2025, the Home Secretary and Home Office issued a full apology to Muslim community leader Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin before Hill J in the High Court and paid his costs and £225,000 in damages for wrongly alleging that he had taken part in war crimes during Bangladesh’s war of independence.

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.