The ECU [Editorial Complaints Unit] is upholding a complaint against BBC News for describing the above Act as a piece of “anti-terrorism legislation” which was passed “in 2000 as the threat of global terrorism was on the rise”. Please refrain from using these phrases in future coverage of the Act as the first is wrong, the second is misleading.
The purpose of the act was to give legal structure to surveillance following the introduction of the Human Rights Act. The surveillance was aimed at serious criminals and, though terrorists would fall into
the category, it is wrong to describe this as anti-terror legislation.Equally RIPA was passed at a time when British law enforcement agencies were more concerned with potential threats from dissident IRA followers than a more global threat so it is misleading to imply that
global terror was a significant factor in prompting the legislation.Should you need to describe the purpose of the Act in brief terms it would be better to say it “covers all sorts of serious crime”.
More detail from A&R [Analysis & Research]
To confirm, the Act is not a piece of anti-terror legislation rather it more wide ranging, creating powers to monitor criminals. According to the Home Office website: “The Regulation of Investigatory Powers
Act (RIPA) legislates for using methods of surveillance and information gathering to help the prevention of crime, including terrorism.”The Home Office goes on to say RIPA makes provision for:
* the interception of communications
* the acquisition and disclosure of data relating to communications
* the carrying out of surveillance
* the use of covert human intelligence sources
* access to electronic data protected by encryption or passwords
* the appointment of Commissioners and the establishment of a
tribunal with jurisdiction to oversee these issues[Source Home Office: http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/ripa/about-ripa/]