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Privacy International v Secretary of State for Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs & Ors (Rev 2) [2016] UKIPTrib 15_110-CH (17 October 2016)
the requirements of national security and that they are subject to oversight." In addition, as we
concluded at paragraph 82 of Greennet: "Compliance with Weber ... will in our judgment mean the
provision, particularly in a national security context, of as much information as can be provided
without material risk to national security. In our judgment, not least because of the consequences of a
conclusion of unlawfulness simply by virtue of a perceived procedural insufficiency, a conclusion that
procedural requirements, or the publication of them, can be improved (i) does not have the necessary
consequence that there has prior thereto been insufficient compliance with Weber ... and (ii) does not
constitute such a material non-compliance as to create a contravention of Article 8. This Tribunal
sees it as an important by-product of the exercise of its statutory function to encourage continuing
improvement in the procedures adopted by the Intelligence Agencies, and their publication (and
indeed such improvement took place as a consequence of our judgments in Liberty/Privacy No 1,
Liberty/Privacy No 2 and Belhadj), but it does not conclude that it is necessary, every time an
inadequacy, particularly an inadequate publication, is identified, to conclude that that renders all
previous conduct by the Respondents unlawful."
63. We are in this case addressing the issue of collection of personal data or communications data in bulk.
Contrary to the view set out by Sir Swinton Thomas in the 2004 correspondence with the Home Office
referred to in paragraph 54 above, Article 8 is engaged by the transfer and storage of communications
data even if it is not accessed.
64. We have resolved the challenge to the domestic legality of BCD. There has been no challenge to the
domestic legality of the collection of BPD. The relevant underlying statutory provisions apart from s.94
(ss 5 and 7 of ISA 1994 and ss 5, 8, 28, 29 and 43 of RIPA) both provide for and incorporate
safeguards, and there are relevant codes of practice (Covert Human Intelligence Sources Codes of
Practice (2002, 2010 and 2014), Covert Surveillance and Property Interference Codes of Practice
(2002, 2010 and 2014), the Equipment Interference Code of Practice ( 2016) and the Interception of
Communications Codes of Practice (2002 and 2016).
65. The ISC described the position as to BPD in its March report:
"Internal controls.
161. The [SIAs] have told the Committee that the acquisition and use of Bulk Personal
Datasets is tightly controlled and that the HRA 'triple test' (i.e. for a lawful purpose,
necessary and proportionate) is considered both at the point of acquisition, and also
before any specific searches are conducted against the data (which is when they consider
the principal intrusion into an individual's privacy to occur).
162. Senior staff are responsible for authorising the acquisition of Bulk Personal
Datasets. The Director General of MI5 explained:
" ... there are datasets that we deliberately choose not to reach for, because we
are not satisfied that there is a case to do it, in terms of necessity and
proportionality."
The [SIAs] each have a review panel, chaired by a senior official, which meets every six
months to review the Bulk Personal Datasets currently held by the Agency. Within MI5
each Bulk Personal Dataset has a different review period, depending on the level of
intrusion and corporate risk it carries. Datasets that are found not to have sufficient
operational value are deleted.
163. The [SIAs] have said that they apply strict policy and process safeguards to control
and regulate access to the datasets ... these controls include: (i) training, audit and
disciplinary procedures ... (ii) heightened safeguards for sensitive categories of
information."
66. The Respondents in the April Response set out what they submit to be the adequate safeguards by way
of protection against arbitrary conduct. As to both BCD and BPD they recite the following: -www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=/uk/cases/UKIPTrib/2016/15_110-CH.html&query=([2016])+AND+(UKIPTrib)+AND+(15_110-CH)
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