UK court examines GCHQ’s bulk hack of phones and laptops
Judges examine MI5 and MI6 spying tactics exposed by Edward Snowden
GCHQ’s bulk hacking of smartphones and computers in the UK is at the centre of a Court of Appeal case starting today that pits privacy advocates against the UK’s most secretive court, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).
Privacy International’s legal fight is linked to a data leak by US whistle-blower Edward Snowden, who exposed widespread surveillance by the US National Security Agency and the UK’s GCHQ, The Guardian says.
The privacy group is challenging a ruling by the IPT that allows MI5, MI6 and GCHQ - the Government’s listening post in Cheltenham - to spy on hundreds of thousands of Britons using one, sweeping warrant. The “thematic warrants” allow UK security services to hack, for example, “the computers of everyone who has travelled to the Middle East, or the entire population of Birmingham”, reports Computer Weekly.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The appeals court is to rule on two matters: whether the UK’s bulk surveillance practice is a breach of privacy under European law; and whether civil courts have primacy over an intelligence tribunal that operates partly in secret.
The legal battle has been going on for years. Privacy International and seven internet service providers initiated court proceedings in 2014 before the IPT, arguing that the mass UK hacks are a breach of the human rights to privacy and freedom of speech. But the UK Tribunal ruled that the hacking warrants “need not be defined by reference to named or identified individuals”.
Privacy International then launched a judicial review of the tribunal’s decision in the High Court, but lost - leading to today’s appeal.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Epic meltdown'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
The World of Tim Burton: a 'creepy, witty and visually ravishing' exhibition
The Week Recommends Sprawling show at the Design Museum features over 600 exhibits from across the directors' five-decade career from early sketches to costumes and props
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: October 31, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Pros and cons of the emergency alert
Pros and Cons Already used successfully in US, Greece and Japan, mobile notifications could help save lives, but pose risk to domestic abuse victims and drivers
By The Week Staff Published
-
The UK’s new mobile emergency alert system: what is it and how does it work?
feature Government will test new scheme this month with warning sound and vibration on nation’s phones
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Are Facebook privacy settings handing a ‘free pass’ to terrorists?
feature MI5 chief attacks plans to provide end-to-end encryption on social media platform
By Sorcha Bradley Last updated
-
How cybercriminals are hacking into the heart of the US economy
Speed Read Ransomware attacks have become a global epidemic, with more than $18.6bn paid in ransoms in 2020
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Language-learning apps speak the right lingo for UK subscribers
Speed Read Locked-down Brits turn to online lessons as a new hobby and way to upskill
By Mike Starling Published
-
Brexit-hobbled Britain ‘still tech powerhouse of Europe’
Speed Read New research shows that UK start-ups have won more funding than France and Germany combined over past year
By Mike Starling Published
-
Playing Cupid during Covid: Tinder reveals Britain’s top chat-up lines of the year
Speed Read Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Dominic Cummings among most talked-about celebs on the dating app
By Joe Evans Last updated
-
Brits sending one less email a day would cut carbon emissions by 16,000 tonnes
Speed Read UK research suggests unnecessary online chatter increases climate change
By Joe Evans Published