New privacy concerns raised after intelligence watchdog confirms it has never audited or inspected the way intelligence services share sensitive surveillance databases with industry partners
The watchdog that inspects the intelligence services has revealed that there has never been an audit of the way security services share sensitive bulk databases of the population, including phone call, email and internet browsing records, with industry partners of the intelligence agencies.
Graham Webber, head of the Office of Interception of Communications and Intelligence Services Commissioners, admitted in a letter disclosed in court this week that there had never been an inspection of data-sharing.
He was responding to a request by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal for information on what “active oversight” the Intelligence Services Commission or the Interception of Communications Commssioner’s Office had over sharing bulk communications data (BCD) containing internet, email and phone records and bulk personal datasets (BPD), which can include financial, travel and other records of the population.
