The UK’s mass surveillance powers have been ruled illegal
The UK may be forced to scale back its digital mass surveillance of citizens after a court ruled today that its current powers are unlawful.
The UK’s Court of Appeal ruled that the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act (DRIPA) allowed police officers to authorize their own access to citizens’ phone records and web browsing history even in the case of non-serious crimes. According to a report from The Guardian, three appeal court judges ruled that the law did not adequately restrict access to this personal information and so was “inconsistent with EU law.”
DRIPA was passed into law in 2014 as “emergency” legislation, with parliamentary debate restricted to just a single day of discussion. The law paved the way for 2016’s I…
