Lawmarkers: UK spies need to be more open
British spies, accused of undertaking mass, unfettered surveillance of the public's communications, are not breaking the law nor reading everyone's emails but do need to be more open, a powerful committee of lawmakers said on Thursday.
Britain's three security agencies - MI5, which deals with domestic matters, MI6, which handles foreign intelligence and the eavesdropping service GCHQ - have all come under fire from civil rights groups since disclosures by Edward Snowden two years ago. But parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), which acts as a watchdog for the spy agencies, said there was no evidence they had acted illegally. However, the committee said there needed to be a new, less complicated legal framework, enshrined in law, to govern the work of the spies to ensure greater transparency and oversight of their work, and to strengthen privacy protections.
