Report of the Independent Surveillance Review
57
are disproportionately among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups, whereas
90 per cent of new jobs require some digital skills. Only 30 per cent of UK small and
medium enterprises currently buy or sell online, failing to reach a full potential which
could be worth £18 billion to the national economy.24
3.45
The government wants Britain’s digital society to reach its full social and economic
potential. That will require a much greater willingness, at all levels, to learn and be
educated in the digital technologies of our age. The evident need for greater technical
literacy among the policy-makers and legislators who make decisions about surveillance
and intrusion should be viewed on this wider canvas.
3.46
The SIAs are constantly developing their technological capabilities. However, they face
challenges in retaining staff, with the private sector able to offer better pay and skills and
career development. There is a need for active efforts to attract staff from the private
sector back to the public sector.
3.47
The growth of the Internet and the digital economy has affected all levels of capability for
the SIAs. Almost all investigations and operations now have an online aspect; everything
an individual does online leaves a digital ‘footprint’, and the SIAs must be able to
understand these traces of digital data. It would be strange in 2015 for an individual not to
have a digital profile – and this will be almost impossible by 2020. Rather than provoking
a fundamental shift in CSP and target behaviour, the disclosures by Edward Snowden
have accelerated existing trends. For example, as targets are more security-aware, it has
become much harder to intercept communications and to counter encryption (an issue
discussed in further detail below). Of real concern is that co-operation from CSPs has
reduced – a key issue for the police and NCA as well. This means that, like the police,
the SIAs must now think more creatively and go to different, and more complicated,
lengths to achieve their operational aims, which needs to be appropriately reflected in
the governing legal framework.
Data
3.48
The volume of data in society has proliferated as a result of the increase in the number
of services on the Internet; the proliferation of Internet-enabled device technology
and increasing numbers of such devices; increased public use of cloud-based services;
and public WiFi connectivity. Intelligence agencies are therefore now required to liaise
with multiple service providers. However, while the number of Internet suppliers and
stakeholders has increased, there has generally been a corresponding decrease in their cooperation with the police and the agencies. Those headquartered or with infrastructure
abroad are less likely to recognise the extraterritorial reach of RIPA 2000, and therefore
the validity of UK warrants within their jurisdiction. Evidence from some CSPs suggested
that trust was an issue with SIAs, particularly in light of the Snowden disclosures.
24. Martha Lane Fox, speech delivered at the 2015 Richard Dimbleby Lecture.