The UK ’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal ( IPT ) has ruled that GCHQ ’s hacking activities are legal . The case against the GCHQ alleged that the intelligence agency was breaking European law and violating fundamental warrant ##s through its intrusive and persistent surveillance activities . GCHQ can never confirm nor deny that these activities exist , but the case caught the headlines in December 2015 when the intelligence agency admitted that it operated “ within and outside the UK ” . Though GCHQ "neither confirm nor deny" the existence of such operations, the case made headlines in December last year when GCHQ admitted to its persistent hacking programs, "within and outside the UK," for the first time during the case hearings. The IPT has now ruled that computer network exploitation that may involve remotely activating cameras and microphones on devices without the owner ’s knowledge does not breach human rights .
The UK ’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal ( IPT ) has ruled that GCHQ ’s hacking activities are legal . The case against the GCHQ alleged that the intelligence agency was breaking European law and violating fundamental warrant ##s through its intrusive and persistent surveillance activities . GCHQ can never confirm nor deny that these activities exist , but the case caught the headlines in December 2015 when the intelligence agency admitted that it operated “ within and outside the UK ” . The IPT has now ruled that computer network exploitation that may involve remotely activating cameras and microphones on devices without the owner ’s knowledge does not breach human rights .