x
A Democratic Licence to Operate
Antiquated laws will neither keep the public safe nor ensure individual privacy. This is
particularly true as the Internet and communications technologies have an impact on our
national security, public safety and individual privacy. The UK is vulnerable to states and
non-state actors looking to use cyberspace to steal, compromise or destroy critical data.
While the benefits and risks of a technology-dependent, data-based society are
increasingly apparent, the trade-offs that may be required to protect the UK’s open,
liberal and democratic society are only now being fully explored and understood. For
some, the free and open nature of the Internet represents these values and there should
be no compromise. However, governments cannot ignore threats to national security
and public safety that have emerged from the growth of, and our increasing reliance on,
the Internet and communications technology, and must remain able to uphold the law
and protect the public.
The citizen’s right to privacy online as offline – and what constitutes a ‘justifiable’ level
of intrusion by the state – has become a central topic of debate. As traditional notions
of national security and public safety compete with the realities of a digital society, it
is necessary to periodically renew the licence of the police, security and intelligence
agencies to operate. This report aims to enable the public at large to engage in a more
informed way in the debate, so that a broad consensus can be achieved and a new,
democratic licence to operate can be agreed.
Panel of the Independent Surveillance Review
July 2015