I'd have thought a change in foreign policy would have been more effective. But hey ho.
My e-mails sent are for the world to read. So is my thinking every time I press the send button.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...k-report-finds
My e-mails sent are for the world to read. So is my thinking every time I press the send button.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...k-report-finds
Bulk data collection vital to prevent terrorism in UK, report finds
The investigatory powers bill
The bulk collection of personal data by British spy agencies is vital in preventing terrorist attacks, an independent review of draft security legislation has found.
David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, concluded that laws giving MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to right to gather large volumes of data from members of the public had a “clear operational purpose”.
The findings were welcomed by the prime minister, Theresa May, but will be criticised by human rights and privacy campaigners in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations.
A Home Office document released in June showed that all the phones and laptops in a “major town” could be hacked into, as long as the town was in another country and the action was necessary for national security purposes.
Last November May, in her role as home secretary, produced a draft of the communications data bill, which would give police and spies broad investigative powers they say are vital to help protect the public from criminals, paedophiles and terrorism.
Anderson’s report, published on Friday, said bulk powers “play an important part in identifying, understanding and averting threats in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and further afield”. The techniques were used across the range of agency activity, from cyber-defence, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism to child sexual abuse and organised crime, the review found.
It concluded that there was a “proven operational case” for three of the four powers examined, and a distinct “though not yet proven” operational case for the fourth. Anderson described the pace of technological change as “breathtaking”.
His inquiry recommended that a panel of independent academics and industry experts be appointed to advise on the impact of changing technology, and how the intelligence agencies could reduce the “privacy footprint” of their activities.
Bulk powers are among the most controversial tactics set to be covered by the new surveillance laws, which are going through parliament.
They cover a range of techniques used to acquire information in large volumes. The data is used to generate intelligence about threats that cannot be obtained by more targeted means.
Anderson said in the report that bulk interception was of “vital utility” to the security services while there was no alternative to collecting large amounts of data on people unlikely to be under suspicion, known as bulk personal datasets.
May said in a statement: “Anderson’s report demonstrates how the bulk powers contained in the investigatory powers bill are of crucial importance to our security and intelligence agencies.
“These powers often provide the only means by which our agencies are able to protect the British public from the most serious threats that we face.”
Anderson was appointed in 2011, succeeding Alex Carlile QC. The independent reviewer scrutinises and reports on the operation of the UK’s laws on terrorism. Anderson has been one of the most informed voices in the public debate over surveillance since revelations from the American former National Security Agency contractor Snowden were published by the Guardian and other international media outlets.
Last year Anderson published a 372-page review entitled A Question of Trust which contained more than 100 recommendations and opened the way for the investigatory powers bill.
The investigatory powers bill
The bulk collection of personal data by British spy agencies is vital in preventing terrorist attacks, an independent review of draft security legislation has found.
David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, concluded that laws giving MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to right to gather large volumes of data from members of the public had a “clear operational purpose”.
The findings were welcomed by the prime minister, Theresa May, but will be criticised by human rights and privacy campaigners in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations.
A Home Office document released in June showed that all the phones and laptops in a “major town” could be hacked into, as long as the town was in another country and the action was necessary for national security purposes.
Last November May, in her role as home secretary, produced a draft of the communications data bill, which would give police and spies broad investigative powers they say are vital to help protect the public from criminals, paedophiles and terrorism.
Anderson’s report, published on Friday, said bulk powers “play an important part in identifying, understanding and averting threats in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and further afield”. The techniques were used across the range of agency activity, from cyber-defence, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism to child sexual abuse and organised crime, the review found.
It concluded that there was a “proven operational case” for three of the four powers examined, and a distinct “though not yet proven” operational case for the fourth. Anderson described the pace of technological change as “breathtaking”.
His inquiry recommended that a panel of independent academics and industry experts be appointed to advise on the impact of changing technology, and how the intelligence agencies could reduce the “privacy footprint” of their activities.
Bulk powers are among the most controversial tactics set to be covered by the new surveillance laws, which are going through parliament.
They cover a range of techniques used to acquire information in large volumes. The data is used to generate intelligence about threats that cannot be obtained by more targeted means.
Anderson said in the report that bulk interception was of “vital utility” to the security services while there was no alternative to collecting large amounts of data on people unlikely to be under suspicion, known as bulk personal datasets.
May said in a statement: “Anderson’s report demonstrates how the bulk powers contained in the investigatory powers bill are of crucial importance to our security and intelligence agencies.
“These powers often provide the only means by which our agencies are able to protect the British public from the most serious threats that we face.”
Anderson was appointed in 2011, succeeding Alex Carlile QC. The independent reviewer scrutinises and reports on the operation of the UK’s laws on terrorism. Anderson has been one of the most informed voices in the public debate over surveillance since revelations from the American former National Security Agency contractor Snowden were published by the Guardian and other international media outlets.
Last year Anderson published a 372-page review entitled A Question of Trust which contained more than 100 recommendations and opened the way for the investigatory powers bill.
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