A report commissioned by former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, in response to US whistle-blower Edward Snowden’s revelations regarding public privacy and Government surveillance, has been published.
The report – A Democratic Licence to Operate – was compiled by a panel that included three former heads of UK intelligence agencies: Sir John Scarlett, former MI6 chief; Sir David Omand, the former head of GCHQ; and Lord Evans, the former MI5 director general.
Proposals included in the document outline the fact that intelligence services should retain their power to gather communications data on the private lives of British citizens.
However, it highlights that privacy needs to be given a greater priority throughout the process, and recommendations are also made for existing legislation to be updated, in order to increase the emphasis on confidentiality.
The report clearly states: “Privacy is an essential prerequisite to the exercise of individual freedom, and its erosion weakens the constitutional foundations on which democracy and good governance have traditionally been based in this country.”
It also adds that there are “inadequacies in both law and oversight that have helped create a credibility gap that has undermined public confidence”.
The report is the third of its kind to be published in the UK this year, following Edward Snowden’s revelations.
The first was from the parliamentary intelligence and security committee while the second was compiled by David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of counter-terrorism legislation.
A Democratic Licence to Operate, along with the two other reports, will feature in a debate set to take place later this year, when it is expected the Government will introduce legislation on surveillance.