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UK Reviews Misused Spying Powers |
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Written by IslamOnline.net
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Thursday, 24 July 2008 |
The British government has ordered a review of the spying powers given to local authorities under anti-terror laws after criticism that public bodies are abusing their powers to snoop on people, the Telegraph reported on Wednesday, July 23.
"The Government is reviewing those public authorities that have access to these powers to ensure that they have a continuing and justifiable requirement for them," Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a written statement to the House of Commons.
"On completion the Government will list the authorities that can use each of the powers and the purposes for which they can use them, and set out revised codes of practice."
The decision came after two separate reports accused public bodies of abusing anti-terror laws to spy on ordinary Britons.
Sir Christopher Rose, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner, accused thousands of local councils of using spying powers given under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to target petty offences.
He said local councils launched almost 10,000 spying missions last year to investigate offences such as dog fouling and under-age smoking.
More than half a million requests for highly personal communications data, such as records of private telephone calls and e-mails, were also lodged by councils and law enforcement agencies.
Sir Rose slammed the councils for the "lack of understanding of the legislation" and displaying a "serious misunderstanding of the concept of proportionality."
Passed in 2000 by the Labour government, the RIPA allows police and security agencies to carry out surveillance on "terrorists" and organized crime.
It has since been taken up by public authorities to carry out covert surveillance and catch those carrying out any criminal activity.
In a separate report, Interception of Communications Commissioner Sir Paul Kennedy said that more than 500,000 official spying requests for private communications data were made last year.
Police, security services and other public bodies make more than 1,400 requests a day to phone and internet firms under RIPA, he added.
The two reports drew strong reactions from opposition and privacy campaigners, who said that surveillance in Britain has spiraled "out of control."
"The most intrusive forms of surveillance must be authorized by judges - not administrators, policeman or politicians," said Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty.
Politicians said the reports prove the erosion of civil liberties.
"The public will be alarmed that so much intrusive surveillance was authorized into their lives," said Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve.
"These powers should be deployed only under the greatest need, and to the standards of scrutiny expected if the police or security services were using them."
Chris Huhne, the home affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, demanded action against turning Britain into a "creeping Orwellian state."
"Measures that were intended to be used to fight terrorism and organized crime have instead been used to snoop on ordinary people's children, dogs and bins," he fumed.
"Surveillance powers are too easily abused by over-zealous officials on the hundreds of public authorities entitled to use them.
"Their use should be reined back and restricted to important cases only."
Source: IslamOnline
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1216208009911&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 24 July 2008 )
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