Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy condemns Investigatory Powers Bill

The Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy has heavily criticised the Investigatory Powers Bill in his first report to the Human Rights Council.  

The report calls for “disproportionate, privacy-intrusive measures such as bulk surveillance and bulk hacking as contemplated in the Investigatory Powers Bill [to] be outlawed rather than legitimised.”
 
Jim Killock, Executive Director of Open Rights Group responded to the report’s findings:

“The Special Rapporteur’s report is yet another damning criticism of the Investigatory Powers Bill. Not only does it call for the disproportionate powers in the Bill to be ‘outlawed rather than legitimised’, it points out that the Bill does not comply with recent human rights rulings, which means it could be open to legal challenges.

“The report also voices another serious concern – that the impact of this extreme legislation will be felt around the world, and copied by other countries.

“The Government cannot continue to ignore the overwhelming evidence that the IPB is a deeply flawed piece of legislation.”
 
For further information, email press@openrightsgroup.org