UK’s Investigatory Powers Bill to become law despite tech world opposition

UK's Investigatory Powers Bill to become law despite tech world opposition

April 26, 2024 at 08:07AM

The UK’s Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill 2024, approved by the King, extends digital surveillance powers under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. It allows authorities to gather more data on citizens, citing national security and child protection. Critics oppose the expanded scope, citing privacy concerns and potential impact on technology innovation and security.

The meeting notes discuss the recent approval of the Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill (IPB) 2024 in the UK, which has expanded the digital surveillance powers of the existing Investigatory Powers Act 2016. The amendments allow for greater collection of data on UK citizens, including internet connection records and bulk datasets of personal information. Despite concerns from privacy campaigners, the government has emphasized their focus on national security and the prevention of modern threats such as terrorism and child sexual abuse online. Notably, tech companies have expressed substantial concerns about the potential negative impacts of the Bill, particularly regarding privacy protections and security innovation. There are also concerns about the potential impact on the security posture of the UK due to the requirement for tech companies to consult the government before rolling out security updates to software. Additionally, the Bill aligns with the government’s long-running calls to break end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and capture encrypted private messages.

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