Concerns have been raised that neither of the bodies tasked with overseeing the UK's spy agencies were aware that data they collected was shared with the private sector. According to documents released as part of an ongoing court case between the UK government and Privacy International, GCHQ and MI5 didn't tell watchdogs they …

The latest agency that audits state spying in the UK, the Investigatory Powers Commission (IPCO), formally started operating today. IPCO is the latest incarnation of the public sector snooping regulator, the body previously having been called the Interception of Communications Commissioner’s Office (IOCCO). In plain English, …

A former boss at UK domestic spy arm MI5 has cautioned against a crackdown on encrypted messaging apps. Lord Evans, who retired in 2013, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme (link here) that he did not support encryption restrictions despite acknowledging cryptography had been an obstacle in investigating terrorist cases, saying …

The commissioners responsible for overseeing the UK's spy agencies have admitted that they have never carried out a formal inspection or audit of the sharing of bulk communications and personal data with industry. The intelligence agencies' collection of mass communications data has come under repeated scrutiny, and the …

Former MI5 boss Stella Rimington says complex communications "make it very difficult for our intelligence services" to keep pace against "hideous ideologies" whose sole aim is to kill, while cyber espionage is something "no one really knows effectively how to deal with". It was a bleak picture she painted of the threat …

Jeremy Fleming, the deputy director-general of MI5, is to helm GCHQ following the surprise resignation of Robert Hannigan this January. Citing "personal reasons", Hannigan informed the UK's Foreign Secretary of his decision to leave in an exchange of letters a couple of months ago. Even then, his departure came at a difficult …

Classified mass-surveillance manuals for UK spies have been published today amid a legal battle against the British government. The newly obtained documents set out Blighty's secret do's and don'ts for monitoring populations. The files acknowledge that chapter and verse on the lives of people "of no security interest" lie …

Exclusive The "Big Brother" comprehensive national database system feared by many MPs has been built behind their backs over the last decade, and even has a name for its most intrusive component: a central London national phone and internet tapping centre called PRESTON. PRESTON, which collects about four million intercepted phone calls …

Communication providers will need to invest in new equipment if they are to capture people's internet connection records (ICRs) and comply with planned new UK surveillance laws, three major UK internet service providers (ISPs) have said. Under the Investigatory Powers Bill, proposed by the UK government in November, …

This article explains the extent to which the national security agencies have been collecting bulk communications data using powers which are being exercised in a way that were never subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. Such data collection is neither subject to the relevant code of practice covering communications data nor to …

The enormous scale of GCHQ's surveillance was revealed on Friday by newly published Snowden documents. The files note the growth in capabilities enjoyed by the UK government's snoopers since intercepting communications in bulk from 2007. These details were revealed in a series of documents published by The Intercept including …

Blighty's domestic intelligence agency MI5 foiled a number of life-threatening terrorist plots over the last 12 months, underlining the need "for good intelligence and strong anti-terrorism laws, accompanied by proper safeguards." This was the conclusion of the watchdog report by the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism …

A high-level private meeting between Silicon Valley execs, spies and others was held in the UK this month: on the agenda, the state of government surveillance, and what limits should be put on it. The attendee list is impressive. Key speakers apparently included former acting CIA boss John McLaughlin; former White House deputy …

Blighty's intelligence agencies have held out the begging bowl to Parliament for a handout of £111m before April. In a written ministerial statement today Cabinet Office minister and Paymaster General Francis Maude sought Parliamentary approval for the additional funds. He said the money reflects a number of "in-year …

The British government has admitted that its practice of spying on confidential communications between lawyers and their clients was a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Details of the controversial snooping emerged in November: lawyers suing Blighty over its rendition of two Libyan families to be …

MI5's recently appointed boss has placed the ability to intercept communications at the centre of the security agency's counter-terrorism efforts. Andrew Parker's most detailed justification of the controversial surveillance programmes by GCHQ and the NSA, came in a pre-planned speech (transcript here) to the Royal United …

Analysis Evil US Internet companies are shielding terrorists plotting our destruction! Woo! Evil Tory bastards are using the Woolwich Report as an excuse for a further crackdown on the Internet, muslims and ultra-left Guardian columnists.* Woo! Or, perhaps, neither of the above? All the shouting is based on the parliamentary …

The Home Office is seeking suppliers for a £20m contract for a "bespoke tracking and surveillance system" for all law enforcement agencies. The tender for surveillance, security systems and devices also includes software "to meet the specific and unique operational requirements of a covert surveillance systems." Suppliers …