UK ministers want to extend the Investigatory Powers Act, better known as the Snooper’s Charter, even further, according to draft legislation that would gift phone-hacking and web-history combing capabilities to five new public bodies, in addition to the more than 50 that already have access to the sprawling surveillance powers.

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The bodies poised to receive new comms-hacking powers are a motley crew consisting of the Pensions Regulator, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (the armed police force in charge of protecting civil nuclear sites), the Environment Agency, the Insolvency Service, and the UK National Authority for Counter Eavesdropping (UKNACE) – an anti-espionage service that can’t stick to its own principles.

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The IPA dictates that internet and phone companies store everyone’s web browsing histories for a year and give the police, security services and official agencies access to the data. In addition, it allows authorities to hack into computers and phones and to gather bulk communications data. Edward Snowden called the law the “most extreme surveillance in the history of Western democracy”.

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The draft legislation says that the new snooping powers need to be handed over because these bodies are “increasingly unable to rely on local police forces to investigate crimes on their behalf”. Rather than strengthening the resources of local police forces, mass surveillance has been deemed the most appropriate solution.

“Well, it’s cheaper,” points out Lilian Edwards, professor of Law, Innovation & Society at Newcastle Law School. Those that already have access to data under the Investigatory Powers Act include intelligence agencies, law enforcement, HMRC, and bodies with statutory duties to investigate crimes such as the Department for Health, the Home Office, DWP, Food Standards Agency and the Gambling Commission.

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