Friday, 24 August 2012 07:49
'The communities secretary, Eric Pickles, has sharply criticised the BBC and other public bodies for trying to hide their use of covert surveillance powers without any judicial oversight or transparency.
Responding to research by the campaign group Big Brother Watch, Pickles said it was "simply unacceptable" for publicly funded bodies including the BBC, Ofsted and Royal Mail to use powers in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to spy on the public and then try to avoid any accountability.
The research shows that 345 local authorities across Britain have carried out a total of 9,607 covert surveillance operations over the past three years, equating to nearly nine a day using powers intended to combat serious crime and terrorism.'
Read more: Minister Attacks BBC and Ofsted Secrecy Over Use of Surveillance
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