Journalists could face prison sentences of up to 14 years for stories that embarrass the Government under plans to reform the Official Secrets Act. The 1989 act is being updated to take into account the impact of the internet age, especially in the area of speedy data transfer. Human rights organisations and the Law Commission, which drew up the proposals, say there should be a 'public interest defence' included to prevent the prosecution of journalists who receive leaked documents. 'As a result, we do not consider that there is necessarily a distinction in severity between espionage and the most serious unauthorised disclosures, in the same way that there was in 1989. 'We will introduce new legislation so security services and law enforcement agencies can tackle evolving state threats and protect sensitive data.

Source: Daily Mail July 20, 2021 13:40 UTC