Lawyers ask for greater protection from Surveilance Laws

A group of leading academics have sent a letter to the Government warning against the further use of Surveillance without further scrutiny by both the public and Parliament.

 

Led by the LSE Law Professor Andrew Murray and the University of East Anglia lecturer in IT law, Paul Bernal, the 38 academics have called on the Government to, "ensure that any changes in the law, and especially any expansions of power, are fully and transparently vetted by parliament, and open to consultation from the public and all relevant stakeholders".

 

Their letter warns that previous expansion of the current surveillance regime has been introduced, "seemingly designed to stifle robust democracy consideration".

 

In February 2015 the Home Office published a draft code of practice allowing the intelligence community the ability to hack into computers, domestically and overseas.

 

The letter continues with, "hacking is a much more intrusive form of surveillance than any previously authorised by Parliament".

 

Furthermore the Government granted effective immunity from criminal liability via publishing an amendment to the Serious Crimes Act 2015. 

 

According to the academics, "The government should not be permitted to surreptitiously change the law whenever it so desires, especially where such changes put our privacy and security at risk".

 

"We are calling on all members of the House of Commons, new and returning, and of all political persuasions to support us in this by ensuring parliamentary scrutiny is applied to all developments in UK surveillance laws and powers as proposed by the current government".

 

The letter is being sent on the 26th May to the UK's 650 MP's and has been signed by individuals from across the UK including Professors from the universities of Oxford, Essex, Sussex and Durham. 

 

Rochdale Personal Injury Solicitors