A review on the Investigatory Powers Bill, which has been dubbed the ‘snooper’s charter’ and allows government agencies to spy on computer usage, has concluded that there is ‘no viable alternative’ in the current security climate.
The review, carried out by David Anderson QC, evaluated the four powers in the Bill; bulk interception, bulk acquisition, bulk equipment interference and bulk personal datasets. The bill has been the subject of controversy since its introduction to the House for giving government agencies the power to hack into and bug phones and computers.
The report summarised that there is a proven operational case for three of the bulk powers, which are used across a range of Agency activity, from cyber-defence, counter-espionage and counterterrorism, to child sexual abuse and organised crime. Since the bulk powers play an important part in identifying, understanding and averting threats in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Anderson concluded that there was no viable alternative.
Anderson also said he backed the hacking of foreign computers “in principle”.
The result of the review will come as a relief to Theresa May, who has championed the bill from the beginning.
“Mr Anderson’s report demonstrates how the bulk powers contained in the Investigatory Powers Bill are of crucial importance to our security and intelligence agencies,” she said.
19/08/2016