so the government's fix for a data breach is to delete the entire database instead of fixing the access controls. classic.

Relevant part:

> HMCTS acted to protect sensitive data after CourtsDesk sent information to a third-party AI company.

(statement from the UK Ministry of Justice on Twitter, CourtsDesk had ran the database)

but it's unclear how much this was an excuse to remove transparency and how much this actually is related to worry how AI could misuse this information

When people who are involved in the upkeep of these systems start saying no is when these decisions will cease. This problems are all done by our acquiesce.

There is no way to verify if European countries have rule of law without insight into their courts.

Naturally the first impulse is to protect criminals while law-abiding citizens are ignored.

Transparency always loses.

Shutting down the only working database is the proof point that perfect is the enemy of good.

Of course, this gives cover to the "well, we're working on something better" and "AI companies are evil"

Fine, shut it down AFTER that better thing is finally in prod (as if).

And if the data was already leaked because you didn't do your due diligence and didn't have a good contract, that's on you. It's out there now anyway.

And, really, what's the issue with AI finally having good citations? Are we really going to try to pretend that AI isn't now permanently embedded in the legal system and that lawyers won't use AI to write extremely formulaic filings?

This is either bureaucracy doing what it does, or an actual conspiracy to shut down external access to public court records. It doesn't actually matter which: what matters is that this needs to be overturned immediately.

Hard to see how this isn't totally asinine and retarded.

I haven't confirmed it but I've seen journalist friends of mine complain also that the deletion period for much data is about 7 years so victims are genuinely shocked that they can't access their own transcripts even from 2018... Oh and if they can they're often extremely expensive.

2 tiers.

The subject of the article is the public right to access the daily schedule of England's courts.

In the United States our Constitution requires the government conduct all trials in public ( with the exception of some Family Court matters ). Secret trials are forbidden. This is a critical element to the operation of any democracy.