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Privacy International is challenging the legaility of the U.K. intelligence agency GCHQ's mass hacking program.
Digital rights organization Privicy International along with five internet service providers filed a legal motion on Friday to the European Court of Human Rights in order to challenge the legality of the U.K. intelligence agency GCHQ’s mass hacking activities abroad.
“By taking this case to the European Court of Human Rights, we aim to bring the Government's hacking under the rule of law,” Privacy International said in a press release on Friday.
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The announcement takes place after a U.K. tribunal ruled that the Britain's intelligence agencies, such as GCHQ, the electronic surveillance organization, can be provided legal authorization to collect communications from people's computers and networks if the user is based in the UK.
However, the ruling handed down by the Investigative Powers Tribunal (IPT) last Feburary, refused to rule on whether hacking computers outside of the U.K. was legally permissible.
“The government is currently hacking abroad based on a very vague and broad power that provides few if any safeguards on this incredibly intrusive power," Privacy International added.
As part of its legal motion to the ECHR, Privacy International is challenging the legality of GCHQ’s hacking programs internationally.
“The European Court of Human Rights has a strong track record of ensuring that intelligence agencies act in compliance with human rights law. We call on the Court to hold GCHQ accountable for its unlawful bulk hacking practices," Scarlet Kim, Legal Officer at Privacy International stated.
Former Intelligence office Edward Snowden caused an international uproar in 2013 when he disclosed details of the extent of surveillance and electronic monitoring by the U.S. National Security Agency and its British equivalent, the General Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ.
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