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UK Orders Deletion of Court Reporting Platform

Is this a necessary step to protect personal data and uphold privacy rights or an attempt to hide systemic failures from public view?

Published 7 hours ago

UK Orders Deletion of Court Reporting Platform

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Above: The HM Court & Tribunals Service in London, U.K., in January 2024. Image credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

This decision is a necessary step to protect personal data and uphold privacy rights under data protection laws. Courtsdesk was found to have handled sensitive information improperly, risking the dignity and safety of victims, defendants and others in the justice system. Prioritizing compliance with legal safeguards outweighs the convenience of an external archive, especially when official channels for court access remain available.

UK Parliament

Government-critical narrative

Destroying the Courtsdesk archive eliminates evidence of systemic court failures rather than fixing them. The platform exposed that 1.6 million hearings had no press notice and official listings matched reality only 4.2% of the time. Ordering deletion after journalists used this data to report on grooming gangs and other cases shows institutions hide accountability when transparency becomes politically inconvenient.

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Editor's Note

This story currently has limited coverage. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our reporting as additional information becomes available.