GCHQ sneaks powers through during Brexit debate

[Im-a-Ridah]

A massive debate took place on Brexit last week, the perfect time to slip this little gem through. For those of you wondering why we can't trust May on the backstop, this is the sort of reason why.

Before the vote: Power will be used sparingly, extreme cases only
Later on: Power will be used all the time. Parliament gave us the power so we should use it to the max. Should have read the small print

GCHQ boosts powers to launch mass data hacking
The UK’s intelligence agencies are to significantly increase their use of large-scale data hacking after claiming that more targeted operations are being rendered obsolete by technology.

The move, which has alarmed civil liberty groups, will see an expansion in what is known as the “bulk equipment interference (EI) regime” – the process by which GCHQ can target entire communication networks overseas in a bid to identify individuals who pose a threat to national security.

A letter from the security minister, Ben Wallace, to the head of the intelligence and security committee, Dominic Grieve, quietly filed in the House of Commons library last week, states: “Following a review of current operational and technical realities, GCHQ have … determined that it will be necessary to conduct a higher proportion of ongoing overseas focused operational activity using the bulk EI regime than was originally envisaged.”

“The bulk equipment interference power permits the UK intelligence services to hack at scale by allowing a single warrant to cover entire classes of property, persons or conduct,” explained Scarlet Kim, legal officer at Privacy International, which has taken the government to court over GCHQ’s hacking activities abroad. “It also gives nearly unfettered powers to the intelligence services to decide who and when to hack.”

Potential targets can be extremely large, Kim suggested. “Hacking presents unique and grave threats to privacy and security,” she said. “It’s not just directed at computers and phones, but can target communications networks and their underlying infrastructure, permitting surveillance against whole groups or countries, or across numerous jurisdictions.”

When the government was piloting the Investigatory Powers Act through parliament two years ago, Lord Anderson, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, stated in his Report of the Bulk Powers Review that “Bulk EI [equipment interference] is likely to be only sparingly used”.

etc etc etc

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/08/gchq-bulk-hacking-hacking-human-rights-privacy-alarm

Now ask yourself, what will the position of our EU overlords change to once we are in the backstop? Now is your chance to read the small print

[Sload]

Guardian link m8, liberal conspiracy innit
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