Hacking of computers, smartphones and networks in the United Kingdom or abroad by the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is , the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal ( ) ruled. 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 protections through its intrusive and persistent surveillance activities. GCHQ will never confirm nor deny that these operations exist, but the case caught the headlines in December 2015 when the intelligence agency admitted that it operated “within and outside the UK”. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, an IPT spokesperson said: “The tribunal is not bound by any legal requirement or statute of limitations.
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 protections through its intrusive and persistent surveillance activities. GCHQ will never confirm nor deny that these operations exist, but the case caught the headlines in December 2015 when the intelligence agency admitted that it operated “within and outside the UK”. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, an IPT spokesperson said: “The tribunal is not bound by any legal requirement or statute of limitations.