Quite interesting wording here; from the above beeb link also:


Power of the Official Secrets Act

The Official Secrets Act 1989 makes it an offence for any member, or former member, of the security services, police or civil service to disclose official information "without lawful authority"

It is also an offence for a journalist to repeat any such disclosures.

The areas covered by the act include releasing information on defence, international relations, security service activities, foreign confidences and information that might lead to a crime being committed.

The maximum penalties for breaking the law are two years' imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both.


In this context: what constitutes "lawful authority"? Surely the disclosure of criminal acts, regardless of who is involved is lawful and is performed under the authority of the law, irrespective of those crimes being subject in any way to any type of "Official Secret."

How is it a crime for a journalist to repeat information pertaining to crimes which attack the core of our communities, physically, socially and economically? Where is the freedom of the press?

Releasing information on security service activities, where those activities are criminal cannot be upheld by rules designed for that purpose - to commit and conceal crime.

"Information that might lead to a crime being committed" is nothing more than a get out of jail free card; massive loophole, as the risk is heightened by the situation where law is being designed to fail the innocent: the law in question being the Official Secrets Act.


etc.