United Kingdom

Report and Analysis

Long Read

Social media monitoring in the UK: the invisible surveillance tool increasingly deployed by government

Privacy International presents how the use of social media monitoring by governments and companies is an increasingly prevalent one, and as this article explores, largely unregulated.

Long Read

Couple sitting in front of shops in the UK

Welfare policy in the UK today: the government's flawed approach to fraud

After a consultation held in 2021 to which Privacy International responded, the government has now decided not to expand the powers of its "National Fraud Initiative". However, recent changes in the UK welfare landscape point to troubling plans for the future.

Report

Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@delfidelarua7?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">delfi de la Rua</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/map-pins?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>

PI submission on the GPS Tracking of Migrants in the UK

Privacy International has made a submission to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration inspection of the Home Office Satellite Tracking Service Programme. We highlighted some of our concerns about the intrusive nature of location data as well as systemic failures relating to the quality of tags and battery life of devices which have a significant impact on individuals, as battery depletion can result in criminal prosecution.

Long Read

The UK Human Rights Act and the right to privacy

The UK goverment’s Independent Human Rights Act Review has shone the spotlight on the relationship between domestic jurisprudence and the European Court of Human Rights. We look at this relationship from a privacy perspective.

Report

Is your Local Authority Looking at your Facebook Likes?

When Local Authorities aren't your Friends

The UK Chief Surveillance Commissioners have repeatedly raised concerns about local authorities using the internet as a surveillance tool and suggested they conduct an internal audit of the use of social media sites. Privacy International sent Freedom of Information requests to local authorities in the UK to dig deeper into what's going on.

Case Study

…it ensures we are all recognised as people

You should be legally protected in the same way everywhere like anyone else.

News

13th June 2022

Shining a light on the hostile environment

1st April 2022

UK Government acknowledges past violations of individuals’ rights and the fight continues...

25th March 2022

Press Release: High Court rules seizing and retaining mobile phones from asylum seekers unlawful

23rd July 2021

UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal finds the regime for bulk communications data to be incompatible with EU law

6th July 2021

The Policing Bill: Immigration Officers to get phone data extraction powers

29th June 2021

Policing Bill: An unsatisfactory debut on the statute books for mobile phone extraction

12th May 2021

How Priti Patel needs to fix the Aspen Card

27th April 2021

Amazon Alexa/NHS contract: ICO allows partial disclosure

Examples of Abuse

Want to know how this translate in the real world? Here is the latest example in the news.

Job seekers flood recruiters with AI-generated applications

Almost half of all job seekers are using AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini to help them write CVs and cover letters and complete assessments, flooding employers and recruiters with applications in an already-tight market. Managers have said they can spot giveaways that applicants used AI, such as

See more examples of abuse

Our Advocacy

PI's Response to the UK Government's Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill

The UK is once again seeking to expand its surveillance powers. Seven years after the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 became law, the UK Government is now trying to amend it in ways which would further undermine already insufficient bulk surveillance safeguards and introduce a notification regime which could be used to prevent companies from implementing important privacy and security measures. PI is joining other UK civil society organisations in objecting to this problematic Bill.