Civil rights group Liberty has launched a crowdfunding campaign to take on the government's Snooper Charter, saying it's against our basic human rights to be monitored on such a large scale.
The organisation is seeking to challenge the law in the High Court and is inviting the public to support the action by donating money to the campaign using the CrowdJustice platform. With a month to go before the fund-raising initiative ends, it has already hit its 40,000 target, reaching 40,162 at the time of writing.
The Snooper's Charter, formally known as the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), was devised by Theresa May while she was still Home Secretary and will allow the government to access web history and email, text and phone records. Liberty's appeal describes these powers as the ability to "hack computers, phones and tablets on an industrial scale".
"Last year, this Government exploited fear and distraction to quietly create the most extreme surveillance regime of any democracy in history," Martha Spurrier, director of Liberty, said. "Hundreds of thousands of people have since called for this Act's repeal because they see it for what it is an unprecedented, unjustified assault on our freedom."
Although the IPA gained Royal Assent in November last year and came into force at the end of December, Liberty is seeking to have it repealed, claiming it's unlawful and puts UK citizens' basic human rights at risk.
"We hope anybody with an interest in defending our democracy, privacy, press freedom, fair trials, protest rights, free speech and the safety and cybersecurity of everyone in the UK will support this crowdfunded challenge, and make 2017 the year we reclaim our rights," Spurrier added.
Liberty's campaign comes just a few weeks after the European Court of Justice upheld a legal challenge brought by Conservative MP David Davis and Labour MP Tom Watson, which claimed the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act the IPA's predecessor broke the law by indiscriminately collecting and analysing citizens' internet activity and phone records. That case has now reterned to the UK court of appeal.
-
Third time lucky? Microsoft finally begins roll-out of controversial Recall featureNews The Windows Recall feature has been plagued by setbacks and backlash from security professionals
-
The UK government wants quantum technology out of the lab and in the hands of enterprisesNews The UK government has unveiled plans to invest £121 million in quantum computing projects in an effort to drive real-world applications and adoption rates.
-
Government 'to push through spy powers after election'News Report - Tories will seek stronger spy powers immediately upon an election victory
-
UK government's draft spying powers get leaked onlineNews Open Rights Group lifts curtain on Home Office's secretive consultation
-
Blow for Snoopers Charter as EU court bans mass data collectionNews A legal challenge brought against DRIPA could take out its successor
-
Porn site xHamster protests Snooper's Charter a week too lateNews xHamster pushes visitors to sign anti-surveillance petition
-
Investigatory Powers: Expect less scrutiny now Theresa May is Prime MinisterAnalysis Experts predict Theresa May's rise to PM will give the Snooper's Charter an easier ride
-
Investigatory Powers bill’s security backdoors ‘won’t make iPhone illegal’News Encryption backdoors survive proposed House of Lords amendments
-
House of Lords hits out at Snooper's CharterNews Privacy and practicality worries could give the IP Bill a rough ride through the upper house
-
FBI can hack computers with no warrant, US court rulesNews No warrant was needed in child abuse case, even though one was obtained
