‘UK police can access personal data hundreds of times per day’

Privacy campaigners in the UK say British police are granted access to private phone and email records of people almost every two minutes. 

This was released under the freedom of information laws requested by ‘Big Brother Watch’ which found more than 730,000 requests for communication data between 2012 and 2014 across the UK.

This comes as home secretary, Theresa May sets plans to strengthen security service and police surveillance powers, including allowing officers and spies to intercept calls, messages and communication data.

However, critics of the proposals for the new investigatory power bills say citizens are already being bombarded with surveillance and insufficient transparency about whose information is being accessed, the cases involved and the reasoning behind which request approval is concerning.

Now Ben Rossi, the group editor with the Information Age, says all this comes at a cost and it has “particularly to do with privacy.”

He said privacy is part of people’s civil liberty and a fundamental right which is gradually fading away in the country.

Responding to the report, a Home Office spokesman said: “It is absolutely vital that our police and security services are able to obtain communications data in certain, limited circumstances, to protect the public and ensure national security.

“This information helps to disrupt terrorist plots, smash criminal networks and keep us safe, and it is a government priority to ensure our legislation is updated to deal with changing threats and evolving technologies.”

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