Our collective and individual tributes to @rmwilliams.bsky.social , great friend and supporter of the University of Sussex University of Sanctuary group and Sussex Centre for Migration Research blogs.sussex.ac.uk/sussex-centr...

Cautiously optimistic for the UK's renewed (or revived?) commitment to open government and transparency by taking on the co-chair role @opengovpartnership.org from Oct 2026. I attended a meeting yesterday with government/civil society updating on the 6th National Action Plan & looking ahead to 7th

The final straw – the Information Commissioner's Office has decided NOT to investigate the Afghan data leak. It's time to investigate them! Over 70 organisations and experts back ORG's call for an inquiry into the regulator's chronic failure to enforce data law. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

useful insights into AI uses in policing, and what the Scottish police does/doesn't do, based on law and governance. Key point: police as a public body will never keep pace with private sector - does not receive funding available to corporate sector

attending this today, 10 years since we organised the very first one! congratulations to @nniloideain.bsky.social and all for a rich programme of research & policy work in the years since. Looking forward to the day

bravo @jessicashurson.bsky.social on impressive convening of today's Online Safety Act 2023 event at University of Sussex, v much enjoyed the discussions and diversity of perspectives. Thanks to other supporting colleagues & all the presenters too.

today at Sussex Law School, Sussex Centre for Law and Technology, a day of papers and discussion devoted to the Online Safety Act 2023, and its future www.sussex.ac.uk/research/cen...

Ending the day at Green Templeton College yesterday, after many rich discussions with court observers and legal/policy specialists on the nature and challenges of doing open justice, through court observation and reporting.

happening this time next week. Still places available, I believe - or you can register for a live-stream.

In The Guardian in print and online today speaking about the catalyst that triggered me to write Logging Off, and changed my life forever. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Please share! Public lecture - Mr Justice Nicklin - Open Justice: Fit for Purpose - Wednesday 4 June 2025 17:00 to 19:00 Location: Green Templeton College, University of Oxford Speaker: The Honourable Mr Justice Nicklin Register here: www.gtc.ox.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

Join us Sussex Digital Humanities Lab on 19 June for a conversation about the human cost of the digital world with @adelewalton.bsky.social, journalist & author www.sussex.ac.uk/research/cen... pls register for in-person/remote attendance www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/logging-of...

V. much enjoying this fast paced keynote on psychological inoculation against misinformation, though a little nervous to live-report any of it, till I've checked the citations at source #bennettinst

As yet, no direct discussion on role of the news media/social media in political disenchantment & neglected areas, I'm curious to know if the panel would support public policy interventions to support local media - and in what form #bennettinst

Now onto "tackling political disenchantment in ‘forgotten about’ places: what should governments try now?" Prof Andrés Rodríguez-Pose starts off, describing the crisis/crises we're in; why/how people are in revolt #bennettinst

onto post-lunch third panel #bennettinst, on building a productive society. First concept: the 4 day week, advocated for by sociologist Brendan Burchell. coming from business, interestingly, and proving successful

pleased to be here today, esp for later sessions on political disenchantment and misinformation: www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

This article by Sussex university’s vice chancellor about how the Office for Students seemingly oversaw its investigation into worries about free speech at Sussex is… quite something. www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

Some responses to the Judicary's Transparency & Open Justice Board call for engagement on proposed objectives. If you have a submission to add, pls let me know courtobservers.org/2025/03/04/r... / Thanks: @seethrujustice.transparencyproject.org.uk @kitzingercelia.bsky.social @maggotlaw.bsky.social

Finally sat down with my copy of the @queerjudgments.bsky.social book, and accidentally lost several hours of my Sunday in the process. Highly recommended! #queer #academicsky #lawsky #booksky

Join us at the new Sussex Centre for Law and Technology for a research and policy seminar on the Online Safety Act! The seminar is partly funded by the @bileta.bsky.social Research Seminar Awards. 📍 Sussex uni and online 🗓️ Friday 6 June 2025 Call for papers: www.sussex.ac.uk/schools/law-...

Transparency updates from the family court: rule changes to allow more reporting from the family courts and the naming of the judges in the Sara Sharif family court proceedings. Links to coverage and commentary: courtobservers.org/2025/01/31/t...

At last! The Government has published a summary of responses to its 2023 open justice consultation: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a5a... It's a summary - no recommendations or conclusions of the MOJ's own at this stage. 131 responses, mix of backgrounds, including individual court users

*Very* excited about this - an unconference on public involvement/engagement in public sector decisions on data & AI! We also have the latest online meeting of our community of practice on that topic (with speakers from LOTI and @involveuk.bsky.social) on 12 Feb connectedbydata.org/events/2025-...

The government is considering whether to reverse a legal presumption that played a key role in Post Office scandal. rozenberg.substack.com/p/computer-s...

Start HERE for a thread of all our live-posts of the anonymous judge appeal. We will try to post in a continuous thread. We'll do our best to cover everything accurately, & to use exact words when possible but may need to summarise. The hearing starts at 10.30 today (Tues) and is listed for 2 days.

2024 was another busy one for us. We've been working locally, nationally and globally for communities to have a powerful say in decisions about data and AI, to help create a just, equitable & sustainable world. Here are some highlights... 🧵 (1/8)

Major open justice win for us at Spotlight which we hope will lead to more scrutiny and public engagement with cases like this which reveal government complicity or coverup in alleged wrongdoing.

“the practical purposes of open justice are predicated upon the public becoming aware of what happens in a court hearing” Picken J rules @spotlightcorruption.org does *not* need permission to publish jury bundle and transcripts from Crown court trial www.bailii.org/ew/cases/Mis...

some almost end of the year open justice updates: courtobservers.org/2024/12/20/e...

Hello Bluesky! We’ll be posting here from now on. Follow us for the latest in public interest tech research, policy, and ideas.

the Information Law and Policy Centre's two day conference (today in person; tomorrow online) on AI, power and regulation kicks off now, with @zephoria.bsky.social giving this year's annual lecture. let me know if you're here infolawcentre.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2024/10/23/i...

what happened to the 2023 Ministry of Justice consultation on open justice? no sign of a report as yet, but an update from Government via a PQ. TL;DR: considering next steps courtobservers.org/2024/11/07/w...

OECD report on justice system data governance - arguing a people-centred approach required: Wells, P., N. Byrom and M. Piccinin-Barbieri (2024), "Towards effective governance of justice data", OECD Working Papers on Public Governance, No. 74, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/d295...

It’s been a while since I’ve seen any new starter packs for this place, so I’ve tried to come up with a mainly legal one which simply includes many of the people I used to interact with on Twitter & whose posts I enjoyed reading. I hope anyone I’ve overlooked will excuse me. go.bsky.app/4XCaLVx

Enjoyed a pre-term mini-tour: Dundee in glorious sunshine on Wednesday (thank you to the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, @angela daly & colleagues Dundee Law School & the Justice and Power research theme University of Dundee)

Well that's more than 50 data/AI/tech events I've spotted at Labour conference in Liverpool... Please do add any I've missed to our @connectedbydata.org spreadsheet! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

For a deeper dive into the “inaccurate and incomplete information” in the guidance, take a look at the Courts and Tribunals Observers’ Network’s excellent blog, including insight from Daniel Cloake, @maggotlaw.bsky.social, Celia Kitzinger, @jtownend.bsky.social and Claire Martin:

v busy end to term and barely time to log into a social media account! But here it is: my book with Lucy Welsh on open justice and transparency in the criminal courts. We plan to mark its publication with an event in the spring. details to follow! bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/observing-ju...

I'm among signatories to a letter coordinated by Connected By Data, TUC & ORG. AI must be shaped in interests of wider public: a range of expertise, perspectives and communities must have an equal seat at the table #AISummitOpenLetter #AISafetySummit ai-summit-open-letter.info FT: on.ft.com/46N5wwb

Book review: Depp v Heard: the unreal story, by @nickwallis.bsky.social @bathpublishing reviewed by @maggotlaw (Paul Magrath) on the Courts and Tribunals Observers' Network blog courtobservers.org/2023/10/17/b...