UK, or a group planning attacks. This enables us to identify those individuals
who pose a threat, and to avoid intruding into the privacy of those who don’t,
like individuals who might be subject to malicious accusations. Without bulk
capabilities, MI5 simply could not effectively process and respond to the
volumes of incoming leads.
Understand
•
At any one time MI5 is running several hundred complex and fast-moving
investigations. Bulk capabilities are essential to understanding and prioritising
targets, so that we can focus our finite resource on those who pose the greatest
threat.
•
MI5 uses Bulk Personal Data and Bulk Communications Data on a daily basis to
understand target behaviour: identifying target communications, travel patterns
and links between plotters, and enabling us to “join the dots”. Bulk Personal
Data and Bulk Communications Data also complement our targeted collection:
identifying new communications devices which may be subject to further
targeted enquiries, keeping our human sources safe and ensuring intrusion is
always kept to a minimum. Without bulk capabilities we could not prioritise or
manage risk at the necessary pace and scale.
Action
•
MI5 uses Bulk Capabilities to find out the plans of those who mean us harm so
that we can take action and stop them. Bulk capabilities identify attack
operatives we know have been deployed by ISIL and other terrorist groups and
can also alert us to changes in behaviour indicating an attack is imminent. Bulk
Communications Data and Bulk Personal Data enable MI5 and the police to
take disruptive action and stop attacks: bulk capabilities have undoubtedly
helped to save lives.
We are clear that our reliance on all of the bulk powers we, and our partners,
currently use is becoming ever more important to us in identifying threats and
building the intelligence picture around them, in the face of the challenges
posed by encryption. This is likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future.
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