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The UK tech industry is deeply concerned about the government’s plans to change a law known as the “Snoopers’ Charter”.
Ministers insist their changes to the Investigatory Powers Act are designed to protect the safety of British citizens.
But trade body techUK said in a statement that the changes were neither balanced nor proportionate.
It warned that citizens’ privacy, safety and security could be at risk.
The statement has been signed by more than a dozen organizations and individuals concerned about the technology industry and human rights.
In January, Apple told the BBC that ministers were seeking pre-approval for new security features rolled out by tech companies, saying it amounted to an “unprecedented overreach”.
The Home Office said at the time it was seeking to “protect the country from child sexual abuse and terrorists”.
Responding to techUK’s statement, the UK government said: “We do not recognize the claims in this joint statement. Urgent, targeted changes will be made to the Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill to reflect the reality of modern national security threats, while taking advantage of The necessary tools to ensure public safety, based on world-leading safeguards and oversight.”
A spokesman added that the bill had been independently scrutinized and would be “intensely debated”.
data collection
The bill currently allows intelligence agencies to access large amounts of data, including from electronic devices.
It also gives them the ability to access messages and monitor phone calls, and requires ISPs to retain customers’ web browsing data for a year.
The police, some government departments and some emergency services have access to this data.
The proposed amendments would require messaging platforms to notify the Home Office before releasing security updates – this would apply to any company with UK customers, even if the company is not based in the UK.
It also introduces a new category of “less sensitive data”, although critics say this is not clearly defined.
TechUK and other companies said the legislation was “rushed” and had not been subject to “proper scrutiny”. Their statement outlined a series of concerns and said the amendments would:
- Safeguards are weakened when intelligence services collect large data sets, potentially collecting millions of facial images and social media data
- Expand the range of politicians who can authorize surveillance of MPs
- Impeding the company’s ability to drive the data protection expectations of users, governments and regulators around the world
- Let the UK become a “weak link” in the global cyber security chain
Signatories to the statement include the Computer and Communications Industry Association, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the Internet Society, and human rights organizations such as Liberty and Privacy International.
They said the bill needed closer scrutiny.
“We continue to reiterate the urgent need for the rigorous review to ensure all issues are addressed, as is appropriate for a bill of such significant impact,” they wrote.
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