MI5 made multiple applications for phone data to identify BBC journalist's sources | Computer Weekly

"The Investigatory Powers Tribunal heard that MI5 unlawfully sought the phone records of reporter Vincent Kearney on "at least" four occasions between 2006 and 2009 when he worked for the BBC in Northern Ireland. Jude Bunting KC, representing the BBC and Kearney, told the tribunal that MI5 should disclose whether it had carried out further surveillance against Kearney and other BBC journalists for what it regards as lawful reasons."

""We don't know whether MI5 made other applications [for communications data] that were lawful against Mr Kearney," he said. "We don't know whether MI5 made applications for the phone data of other BBC employees." The BBC and Kearney are bringing a legal challenge against the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Durham Constabulary, the Metropolitan Police Service and the UK government over allegations that police and MI5 unlawfully spied on the phones of BBC journalists working in Northern Ireland."

"MI5 argues that it needs to uphold the longstanding principle that it can neither confirm nor deny (NCND) whether it carried out other surveillance operations against Kearney or a list of 16 other BBC journalists, if the surveillance was carried out lawfully. The court heard that MI5 had disclosed in September that it had unlawfully obtained the communications data from Kearney's phone in 2006 and 2009 as part of investigations into people suspected of disclosing information relating to national security to Kearney."

MI5 made multiple unlawful applications for the phone records of BBC reporter Vincent Kearney on at least four occasions between 2006 and 2009 while he worked in Northern Ireland. The BBC and Kearney have brought legal challenges against police forces and the UK government over allegations that police and MI5 unlawfully spied on BBC journalists' phones. MI5 disclosed that it unlawfully obtained Kearney's communications data in 2006 and 2009 and later admitted unauthorised sequential applications intended to identify confidential journalistic sources. MI5 maintains a neither-confirm-nor-deny stance about further surveillance, and the BBC seeks disclosure about additional applications and surveillance of other BBC employees.

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