MI5 spies broke law by holding people’s intercepted data for years
The Investigatory Powers Tribunal, a body that examines complaints about the security services, has just made a groundbreaking ruling – UK spies have unlawfully held onto individuals’ intercepted data for five years. The Tribunal judges harshly criticized the “extensive corporate negligence” of both MI5 and the Home Office.
Under laws branded the Snoopers’ Charter by civil liberties activists, Britain’s intelligence agencies can employ strict surveillance to collect citizens’ data and intercept communication in the interest of national safety. In their ruling on Monday, the Tribunal discovered grievous lapses in privacy protections dating as far back as 2014. Moreover, they also stated that successive Home Secretaries lacked knowledge of whether or not the warrants they authorized contained “effective safeguards”, despite several warnings and inadequate investigation by the Home Office.
Human rights groups Liberty and Privacy International subsequently brought this case to court, proclaiming the decision proves that MI5 has broken regulations for years and these infringements were disregarded by the Home Office.
Source: MI5 spies broke law by holding people’s intercepted data for years
