A trial of new powers granted by the controversial Investigatory Powers Act of 2016 has been going on for months, which involves the internet providers creating internet connection records (ICRs). These can be used to show which websites individual people have visited and when. This has caused digital rights campaigners to voice their concerns: “We should have the right to not have every single click of what we do online hoovered up into a surveillance net on the assumption that there might be criminal activity taking place.”
While the trial is allegedly small scale and in its early stages, its exact working are shrouded in secrecy. It is unclear how many internet records are being collected or to whom they belong, which is sparking discontent among the public. The trial is aiming to explore what kind of data could be retrieved under law and how useful it may be. This being said, critics still consider it a “snooper’s charter”.
