ORG responds to calls by National Crime Agency for greater surveillance powers

Executive Director Jim Killock said:

‘Open Rights Group welcomes any public debate about the surveillance of our personal communications by the police and intelligence services but so far the government seems intent on simply increasing its powers to allow unchecked whole population profiling. To tackle terrorism and serious crime, we need need targeted surveillance that is authorised by judges not politicians, as well as proper democratic oversight to ensure that powers are not abused.’

Open Rights Group is challenging the government’s surveillance practices before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) as one of the applicants in the ‘Privacy not Prism’ claim.  We are also involved in a legal challenge to the new Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014(DRIPA). More information is available here: https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/2014/join-org-to-fight-increasing-surveillance-and-attacks-on-our-human-rights