United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (U.K.) has a notable libertarian tradition, manifested
by, among other things, solid guarantees of freedom of expression, freedom
of information, and protection of privacy. Nonetheless, over the last few
years the country has witnessed a
quick shift toward increased surveillance and police measures in both
online and physical space. Combating
terrorism and preventing child abuse have been widely used by state agencies and
private commercial actors (e.g., Internet service providers) to justify the implementation of interception of communications and direct filtering measures in the
country, which have drawn growing criticism.
Background
The U.K., consisting of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, is a constitutional monarchy currently headed by Queen Elizabeth II. 1 Previously a colonial power,
the U.K. emerged from the World Wars as a leading global financial center and Western democracy. 2 As the country is a member of the European Union (EU), the bloc’s
law takes precedence over national law, with U.K. courts required to recognize the
jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in matters of EU law.
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Filtering
No Evidence
of Filtering
Suspected
Filtering
Selective
Filtering
Substantial
Filtering
Pervasive
Filtering
Political
Social
Conflict and security
Internet tools
Other Factors
Low
Medium
High
Not
Applicable
Transparency
Consistency
The United Kingdom (U.K.) has a notable libertarian tradition, manifested
by, among other things, solid guarantees of freedom of expression, freedom
of information, and protection of privacy. Nonetheless, over the last few
years the country has witnessed a
quick shift toward increased surveillance and police measures in both
online and physical space. Combating
terrorism and preventing child abuse have been widely used by state agencies and
private commercial actors (e.g., Internet service providers) to justify the implementation of interception of communications and direct filtering measures in the
country, which have drawn growing criticism.
Background
The U.K., consisting of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, is a constitutional monarchy currently headed by Queen Elizabeth II. 1 Previously a colonial power,
the U.K. emerged from the World Wars as a leading global financial center and Western democracy. 2 As the country is a member of the European Union (EU), the bloc’s
law takes precedence over national law, with U.K. courts required to recognize the
jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in matters of EU law.
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Filtering
No Evidence
of Filtering
Suspected
Filtering
Selective
Filtering
Substantial
Filtering
Pervasive
Filtering
Political
Social
Conflict and security
Internet tools
Other Factors
Low
Medium
High
Not
Applicable
Transparency
Consistency