[NYTimes] British Spy Agencies Are Said to Assert Power to Intercept Web Traffic

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In a broad legal rationale for collecting information from Internet use by its citizens, the British government has reportedly asserted the right to intercept communications that go through services like Facebook, Google and Twitter that are based in the United States or other foreign nations, even if they are between people in Britain. The British position is described in a draft summary of a report to be released Tuesday by Privacy International and other advocacy groups. The summary, seen by The New York Times, says the findings are based on a government document that the groups obtained through a lawsuit. […]

When revelations surrounding Prism and the other surveillance activities first occurred last year, the British government said the country’s intelligence agencies abided by local rules aimed at protecting citizens’ privacy. But the legal defense reflected in the draft summary of the privacy groups’ report would be the most detailed discussion that has surfaced of the government’s approach to collecting individuals’ communications on some of the most popular Internet services.