4 things you need to know about government hacking in the UK
As Privacy International goes to court on government hacking policies, here’s what to know about the scope of UK hacking powers.
1. The Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), passed in November 2016, gave the UK intelligence agencies and police the most extreme surveillance powers in the western world, according to Edward Snowden. At the time, the U.S. whistleblower tweeted, “It goes further than many autocracies.” Meanwhile Renate Samson, chief executive of Big Brother Watch, warned, “None of us online are now guaranteed the right to communicate privately and, most importantly, securely.”
2. The IPA allows ‘bulk hacking’, which requires only general rather than individual warrants; you need not be suspected of anything to have your personal files combed without your consent or even knowledge. General warrants can allow for the hacking of tens of thousands of people at a time, for example the population of a given city or anybody who’s recently travelled to the Middle East.
3. Government surveillance has the power to turn on your devices’ microphone and camera, allowing authorities to spy on you in real time on top of reading through your files.
4. Our government having these hacking powers means that hacking tools can be leaked. The hacker group Shadow Brokers has been releasing various National Security Agency hacking tools since summer 2016.
