‘The UK intelligence agency GCHQ has repeatedly warned it fears a “damaging public debate” on the scale of its activities because it could lead to legal challenges against its mass-surveillance programs, classified internal documents reveal.
GCHQ fears a legal challenge under the Human Rights Act if evidence of its surveillance methods becomes admissable in court. (Photograph: Barry Batchelor/PA)
Memos contained in the cache disclosed by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden detail the agency’s long fight against making intercept evidence admissible as evidence in criminal trials – a policy supported by all three major political parties, but ultimately defeated by the UK’s intelligence community.
Foremost among the reasons was a desire to minimize the potential for challenges against the agency’s large-scale interception programs, rather than any intrinsic threat to security, the documents show.’
Read more: Leaked Memos Reveal GCHQ Efforts to Keep Mass Surveillance Secret
