Victories

Since its inception in 2005, Open Rights Group has earned a reputation for a long list of victories in defence of our civil liberties in the digital age.

We campaign to change laws to protect our digital rights.

Our mission is to protect our digital privacy and free speech online and to campaign against Government surveillance.

We fight to make the internet more free and just.

Our victories speak for themselves.

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Our Victories

“Immigration exemption” ruled unlawful under GDPR

When the “immigration exemption” became law as part of the 2018 Data Protection Act, it threatened the data rights of all UK residents, including British citizens.
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“Immigration exemption” ruled unlawful under GDPR

NHSX scraps centralised model for Covid-19 app

In a huge win for digital privacy, in June 2020 the UK Government scrapped plans to use a centralised model for its Covid-19 tracker app, opting for the decentralised model long advocated by Open Rights Group (ORG).
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NHSX scraps centralised model for Covid-19 app

Government drops risky age verification plan

Open Rights Group (ORG) has been warning about major privacy risks in plans for age checks on adult websites since they were proposed in the Digital Economy Act 2017.
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Digital censorship averted as UK shelves Copyright Directive

Nearly a year after passage of the EU Copyright Directive, which opened the door to automated upload filters that damage free speech, the UK Government decided not to implement it.
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Court Rules UK Mass Surveillance Programme Unlawful

In 2013, following Edward Snowden’s disclosure of information about major national mass surveillance programmes, the Open Rights Group teamed up with Privacy International, English PEN, and Dr Constanze Kurz, a German computer scientist, to mount a legal challenge against the UK Government’s mass surveillance of the internet.
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Court Rules UK Mass Surveillance Programme Unlawful

Victory on Supreme Court web blocking judgement

Open Rights Group intervened in a legal challenge in which French jeweller Cartier sought court injunctions ordering ISPs to block websites which sell counterfeit Cartier products.
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Court of Appeal rules surveillance data should be restricted

In January 2018, the Court of Appeal delivered judgment in a case regarding the Government’s “Snooper’s Charter” provisions, found in the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014, and in the Investigatory Powers Act 2016.
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ORG Scotland Launched

Our members told us there were specific Scottish concerns over digital rights that we couldn’t address properly from London.
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ORG Scotland Launched

Winning the right to parody

July 2014 Reform of outdated copyright laws has been a major campaign focus for ORG from day one.
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Exposing online censorship

With the Blocked project we did groundbreaking research on the impact of web filters.
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Winning Human Rights Campaigner of the Year

In 2012, our succesful campaigning against the Snoopers’ Charter was recognised when we won the Liberty award for Human Rights Campaigner of the Year, jointly awarded with 38 Degrees.
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