Northern Ireland police failed to disclose two covert surveillance operations against journalists to the UK’s independent surveillance watchdog in breach of their statutory obligations.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland kept inspectors from the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO) in the dark about two covert operations against journalists in 2018 and 2023, it has been disclosed.
Brian Leveson, the investigatory powers commissioner, confirmed in a letter to Northern Ireland’s policing board that the PSNI only informed IPCO about the covert operations in 2025, after they had become public.
The disclosure, in letters published in the Northern Ireland Policing Board’s annual human rights report, first reported by The Detail, comes as the PSNI is preparing to publish a review by barrister Angus McCullogh KC into police surveillance of journalists and lawyers in Northern Ireland.
Covert surveillance in 2018
In August 2018, the PSNI authorised an unlawful surveillance operation in a failed attempt to identify a confidential journalistic source suspected of supplying information to journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney.
The then chief constable of the PSNI authorised a Directed Surveillance Authorisation (DSA) to allow the PSNI to monitor an individual suspected of leaking information to the two journalists.
But according to Leveson, the PSNI failed to disclose the existence of the surveillance operation against the journalists to IPCO inspectors during the watchdog’s annual inspection in spring 2019, in breach of its statutory obligations.
“There is no indication in the 2019 inspection report for PSNI that my inspectors were notified of any covert activity conducted against journalists, or with the intention of identifying a journalistic source,” he wrote in a letter to the Policing Board.
Leveson said that he had received no explanation for the PSNI’s omission. “The question remains why the DSA was not specifically brought to my inspectors’ attention in 2019, given its stated objective of identifying a journalistic source,” he said.
The PSNI did not inform IPCO of the surveillance operation until after the Investigatory Powers Tribunal disclosed it publicly in its judgment in favour of the two journalists in 2024, awarding them costs.
Independent inquiry
Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney told Computer Weekly that the PSNI had consistently failed to take oversight seriously during the journalist’s legal battle with the PSNI.
“It’s quite clear that the PSNI is incapable of acting honestly with any of these oversight bodies. They don’t take it seriously at all, or they show them complete disrespect by failing to properly and honestly interact with them,” said McCaffrey.
He said that the only way of getting to the truth was to hold an independent public enquiry.
“We now see with Brian Leveson that they have withheld evidence even when IPCO was asking for it and we fear that there are going to be more incidents of this when the McCullough review comes out,” he added.
2023 operation spied on Twitter
The PSNI also failed to disclose a surveillance operation against another unnamed journalist in 2023 to IPCO inspectors.
In a letter to the policing board, Leveson said that the PSNI had failed to alert inspectors to the operation despite being asked to do so.
“This authorisation was not brought to my inspectors’ attention, despite their specific enquiry regarding any operations involving confidential journalistic or legally privileged material” he added.
The inspection was led by judicial commissioner Declan Morgan, the retired former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, who sought specific assurances from IPCO on surveillance authorisations issued agaist journalists. He reported that he identified no issues on non-compliance with the management of confidential information.
As Lord Chief Justice, Morgan ruled in 2019 that the Durham Police, which was assisting the PSNI, had unlawfully used search warrants in an attempt to identify Birney and McCaffrey’s sources.
Boutcher: journalistic risk not identified
PSNI Chief constable, Jon Boutcher told the policing board that he had no explanation why the PSNI had not disclosed the 2018 surveillance operation to IPCO inspectors.
“No reason or record can be located to explain why this was not highlighted to IPCO as intended,” he said.
He said that the PSNI had not reported the later 2023 surveillance operation to IPCO as it had not identified that it related to journalistic material.
“As this application had not been highlighted correctly in conjunction with journalistic material, it was not identified when preparing for the 2024 inspection and not highlighted to the IPCO inspectors,” he added.
He said that the material sought was limited to “public tweets” and did not seek private communications.
Barry McCaffrey (left) and Trevor Birney (right)
Up to 16 BBC journalists targeted
Following the IPTs’ ruling in favour of Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, other journalists have made complaints that they were unlawfully spied on.
Former BBC journalists, Vincent Kearney has filed a complaint against the PSNI, and up to another 16 BBC journalists have also raised concerns about unlawful surveillance by the PSNI or MI5, according to the policing board.
Computer Weekly reported in July that the PSNI engaged in sustained surveillance of BBC journalists in Northern Ireland from at least 2006 to 2022.
Surveillance against BBC journalists allegedly took place during multiple PSNI operations, codenamed Operation Oxbow in 2009, Operation Settat in 2011, Operation Basanti in 2014 and Operation Grimmicaeie in 2022.
Data published by the policing board, shows that the number of complaints to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal relating to the PSNI’s use of surveillance powers, rose from 9 in 2022, to 16 in 2023 and 33 in 2025.
The PSNI received “notifications to disclose” information in 3 cases in 2022, raising to 6 cases in 2023, and 19 in 2024, which according to the policing board “might indicate that these are not hopeless cases.”
Oversight mechanism ‘not working’
Amnesty International said the admission that the PSNI covert surveillance operations targeting journalists, including one later ruled unlawful, were withheld from the UK’s surveillance watchdog is “deeply concerning”.
“The PSNI not only authorised covert surveillance designed to identify journalists’ confidential sources, in flagrant violation of press freedom, but then withheld details of those operations from the very watchdog charged with holding them to account,” said Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Director.
“There must now be an overhaul of the mechanisms designed to provide oversight of police surveillance activities across the UK,” he said.
Daniel Holder of the Belfast-based human rights group the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) called for the government to implement the 1999 Patten Commission’s recommendation for a dedicated Commissioner for Covert Law Enforcement in Northern Ireland.
“We cannot continue with an oversight system that is dependent on the PSNI and other bodies here exercising such covert powers voluntarily telling the oversight body what they are doing, or hope that such matters are turned up in limited dip-sampling,” he said.
IPCO ‘not dependent on voluntary disclosures’
A spokesperson for IPCO said that the investigatory powers commissioner Brian Leveson will personally raise the issues with the PSNI chief constable, Jon Boutcher.
In response to the failures, the PSNI had enhanced its central record of surveillance authorisations and would implement training on the “acquisition and management of information relating to journalists,” the spokesperson added.
IPCO said that its oversight regime is not dependent on voluntary disclosures.
“Inspectors use proactive techniques, including ‘dip sampling’ of authorisations, to identify compliance issues and verify responses to requests for information,” the spokesperson said.
“The requirement for PSNI to highlight journalist-related authorisations provides an additional layer of assurance in the oversight process,” the spokesperson added.
Policing board “open to all courses of action’
The chair of the Northern Ireland policing board, Mukesh Sharma, saidthat the Board has expressed its serious concerns regarding the use of covert surveillance.
“The Board awaits the findings of the McCullough Review and remains open to all courses of action to ensure proper accountability,” he said.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland’s deputy chief constable, Bobby Singleton said that the PSNI welcomed the policing board’s human rights report.
“We will continue to work closely with the Policing Board’s Independent Human Rights adviser as we consider and respond to the content and recommendations of this wide-ranging report,” he said.
OpenAI’s chief communications officer, Hannah Wong, announced internally on Monday that she is leaving the company in January, WIRED has learned. In a statement to WIRED, OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood confirmed the departure.
“Hannah has played a defining role in shaping how people understand OpenAI and the work we do,” said CEO Sam Altman and CEO of applications Fidji Simo in a joint statement. “She has an extraordinary ability to bring clarity to complex ideas, and to do it with care and grace. We’re deeply grateful for her leadership and partnership these last five years, and we wish her the very best.”
Wong joined OpenAI in 2021 when it was a relatively small research lab, and has led the company’s communications team as ChatGPT has grown into one of the world’s largest consumer products. She was considered instrumental in leading the company through the PR crisis that was Altman’s brief ouster and re-hiring in 2023—a period the company internally calls “the blip.” Wong assumed the chief communications officer role in August 2024, and has expanded the company’s communications team since then.
In a drafted LinkedIn post shared with WIRED, Wong said that OpenAI’s VP of communications, Lindsey Held, will lead the company’s communications team until a new chief communications officer is hired. OpenAI’s VP of marketing, Kate Rouch, is leading the search for Wong’s replacement.
“These years have been intense and deeply formative,” said Wong in the LinkedIn post. “I’m grateful I got to help tell OpenAI’s story, introduce ChatGPT and other incredible products to the world, and share more about the people forging the path to AGI during an extraordinary moment of growth and momentum.”
Wong says she looks forward to spending more time with her husband and kids as she figures out the next chapter in her career.
The UK government has launched a Women in Tech Taskforce, designed to dismantle the current barriers faced by women working in, or wanting to work in, the tech sector.
Made up of several experts from the technology ecosystem, the taskforce’s main aim is to boost economic growth, after the recent government-backed Lovelace report found the UK is suffering an annual loss of between £2bn and £3.5bn as a result of women leaving the tech sector or changing roles.
The UK’s technology secretary, Liz Kendall, said: “Technology should work for everyone. That is why I have established the Women in Tech Taskforce, to break down the barriers that still hold too many people back, and to partner with industry on practical solutions that make a real difference.
“This matters deeply to me. When women are inspired to take on a role in tech and have a seat at the table, the sector can make more representative decisions, build products that serve everyone, and unlock the innovation and growth our economy needs.”
The percentage of women in the technology workforce remains at around 22%, having grown marginally over the past five years, and the recent Lovelace report found between 40,000 and 60,000 women are leaving digital roles each year, whether for other tech roles or to leave tech for good.
When women are inspired to take on a role in tech and have a seat at the table, the sector can make more representative decisions, build products that serve everyone, and unlock the innovation and growth our economy needs Liz Kendall, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
There are many reasons for this, one being the lack of opportunity to advance their career in their current roles. Research by other organisations has found a lack of flexibility at work and bias also play a part in either preventing women from joining the sector or contributing to their decision to leave IT.
The issues can be traced all the way to school-aged girls, who often choose not to continue with technology subjects. One reason for this is that misconceptions about the skills needed for a tech role make young women feel the sector isn’t for them.
Headed up by the founder and CEO of Stemettes, Anne-Marie Imafidon, the founding members of the taskforce include:
Liz Kendall, secretary of state for science, innovation and technology.
Anne-Marie Imafidon, founder of Stemettes; Women in Tech Envoy.
Allison Kirkby, CEO, BT Group.
Anna Brailsford, CEO and co-founder, Code First Girls.
Francesca Carlesi, CEO, Revolut.
Louise Archer, academic, Institute of Education.
Karen Blake, tech inclusion strategist; former co-CEO of the Tech Talent Charter.
Hayaatun Sillem, CEO, Royal Academy of Engineering.
Kate Bell, assistant general secretary, TUC.
Amelia Miller, co-founder and CEO, ivee.
Ismini Vasileiou, director, East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster.
Emma O’Dwyer, director of public policy, Uber.
These experts will help the government “identify and dismantle” the barriers preventing women from joining or staying in the tech sector across the areas of education, training and career progression.
They will also advise on how to support and grow diversity in the UK’s tech ecosystem and replicate the success of organisations that already have an even gender split in their tech remits.
Collaboration has been heavily pinpointed in the past as being the only way sustained change can be developed when it comes to diversity in tech, with the taskforce working on advising the government on policy, while also consulting on how government, the tech industry and education providers can work together to make it easier to increase and maintain the number of women in tech.
The taskforce will work in tandem with other government initiatives aimed at encouraging women and young people into technology careers, such as the recently launched TechFirst skills programme and the Regional Tech Booster programme, among others.
The first meeting of the Women in Tech Taskforce took place on 15 December 2025.
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