Snooper's charter attacked: Liberty mounts legal challenge to Investigatory Powers Act's 'assault on freedom'
The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 — better known to many as the snooper’s charter — faced massive public criticism in the run-up to becoming law at the end of 2016 for the privacy-invading powers it affords the UK government to gather data about internet usage.
Towards the end of the year, the European Court of Justice ruled that the „general and indiscriminate retention“ of internet data and communication is illegal, potentially threatening the Investigatory Powers Act. Now the human rights group Liberty is launching its own legal attack on the Act, asking for a High Court judicial review of the bulk surveillance powers that have been voted into law.
The campaign group says that the Act goes too far, adding its voice to increasingly loud calls for the legislation to be amended or repealed. Of particular concern is the fact that the Act allows for the collection of data about any internet user, regardless of whether they are suspected of wrong-doing. Liberty director Martha Spurrier says:
Taking on the government has the potential to be an expensive affair, and Liberty is hoping to crowdfund its legal challenge. On its website the group says:
Specifically, Liberty is seeking to test the legality of four powers brought in by the Investigatory Powers Act:
The government says that it intends to “ vigorously defend these vital powers“.
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