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Fnord666 writes:

The High Court has granted Liberty permission to challenge part of the UK's "extreme mass surveillance regime", with a judicial review of the Investigatory Powers Act.

The law forces internet companies to keep logs of emails, phone calls, texts and web browsing histories and to hand them over to the state to be stored or examined. The civil liberties campaign group wants to challenge this mass collection, arguing that the measure breaches British people's rights.

In a separate case in December, the European Court of Justice ruled the same powers in the previous law governing UK state surveillance were unlawful.

The government argues that it needs access to the data to help with criminal investigations and that the legislation is required because so much communication is done online. But Liberty said the legislation had passed through Parliament in part thanks to "shambolic political opposition" and that the government failed to provide evidence that surveillance of everybody in the UK was lawful or necessary.

Martha Spurrier, director of Liberty, said: "It's become clearer than ever in recent months that this law is not fit for purpose. The government doesn't need to spy on the entire population to fight terrorism. All that does is undermine the very rights, freedoms and democracy terrorists seek to destroy."

She added: "Our government's obsession with storing vast amounts of sensitive information about every single one of us looks dangerously irresponsible. If they truly want to keep us safe and protect our cybersecurity, they urgently need to face up to reality and focus on closely monitoring those who pose a serious threat."

Source: ZDNet

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