UK Government Plans to Give 5 More Public Authorities Access to Personal Data

The UK government is set to expand the levels of surveillance public authorities will be able to conduct over its citizens by giving five more public bodies access to personal phone and computer data.

As reported by The Guardian, the Environment Agency, the Insolvency Service, the UK National Authority for Counter Eavesdropping (UKNACE), the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) and the Pensions Regulator will be able to access personal communication information under the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act.

The act, also dubbed the “Snooper’s Charter,” has been referred to as the “most extreme surveillance in the history of western democracy” and Wired reports has broken the law numerous times.

The act allows security services to hack into computers, networks, and servers, download data from mobile devices, and can retain internet history data for 12 months.

The reason access to the data is being expanded to these authorities is because, according to a government document, they cannot rely on “local police forces to investigate crimes on their behalf.” According to a Home Office spokesperson, "To protect national security and investigate serious crimes, law enforcement and relevant public authorities need the ability to acquire communications data.

These powers are only used where it is absolutely necessary and proportionate and are independently authorised by the Office for Communications Data Authorisations, except in urgent or national security cases."

The justification for each body gaining access to this data is wide-ranging.

For example, while the CNC is not expected to “make large numbers of communications data requests, it requires powers to investigate threats to the most sensitive nuclear sites in the UK” it states.

The Environmental Agency reportedly investigates “40,000 suspected offences each year” and needs these powers to “acquire communications data to tackle serious and organised waste crime.”

The Insolvency Service will gather “communications data and … attribute subscribers to telephone numbers and analyse itemised billings” to add weight to its investigations.

It will also gather data on IP addresses and underlying e-mail account details.

UKNACE, which attempts to stop eavesdropping on UK assets, needs access “in order to identify and locate an attacker or an illegal transmitting device.” The Pensions Regulator is “securing compliance and punishing wrongdoing” when enforcing companies adding employees to pension schemes.

As The Register notes, none of these agencies would require warrants to access this data, suggesting that, "a once-shocking power that was granted on the back of terrorism fears is being slowly extended to even the most obscure government agency for no reason other that it will make bureaucrats' lives easier”

The UK government is set to expand the levels of surveillance public authorities will be able to conduct over its citizens by giving five more public bodies access to personal phone and computer data.

As reported by The Guardian, the Environment Agency, the Insolvency Service, the UK National Authority for Counter Eavesdropping (UKNACE), the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) and the Pensions Regulator will be able to access personal communication information under the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act.

The act, also dubbed the “Snooper’s Charter,” has been referred to as the “most extreme surveillance in the history of western democracy” and Wired reports has broken the law numerous times.

The act allows security services to hack into computers, networks, and servers, download data from mobile devices, and can retain internet history data for 12 months.

The reason access to the data is being expanded to these authorities is because, according to a government document, they cannot rely on “local police forces to investigate crimes on their behalf.” According to a Home Office spokesperson, "To protect national security and investigate serious crimes, law enforcement and relevant public authorities need the ability to acquire communications data.

These powers are only used where it is absolutely necessary and proportionate and are independently authorised by the Office for Communications Data Authorisations, except in urgent or national security cases."

The justification for each body gaining access to this data is wide-ranging.

For example, while the CNC is not expected to “make large numbers of communications data requests, it requires powers to investigate threats to the most sensitive nuclear sites in the UK” it states.

The Environmental Agency reportedly investigates “40,000 suspected offences each year” and needs these powers to “acquire communications data to tackle serious and organised waste crime.”

The Insolvency Service will gather “communications data and … attribute subscribers to telephone numbers and analyse itemised billings” to add weight to its investigations.

It will also gather data on IP addresses and underlying e-mail account details.

UKNACE, which attempts to stop eavesdropping on UK assets, needs access “in order to identify and locate an attacker or an illegal transmitting device.” The Pensions Regulator is “securing compliance and punishing wrongdoing” when enforcing companies adding employees to pension schemes.

As The Register notes, none of these agencies would require warrants to access this data, suggesting that, "a once-shocking power that was granted on the back of terrorism fears is being slowly extended to even the most obscure government agency for no reason other that it will make bureaucrats' lives easier”