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The Home Office has attempted to clarify its position on encryption ahead of publishing the Investigatory Powers Bill.

Theresa May's department said it has revised the draft legislation to "reflect the majority of the recommendations" made by three critical reports from committees scrutinising the planned law. The claims from the Home Office come as 100 civil liberties groups and campaigners called, in the Telegraph, for more time to be taken to consult technology companies and those involved.


The government was accused of rushing through changes to planned law, following the publication of the Intelligence and Security Committee and Joint Select Committee reports into the 300-page legislation two weeks ago. Those reports followed the publication of the Science and Technology Committee report in January.

After considering those critical reports, the Home Office claims it has revised the law to:

Read next Friday briefing: Theresa May wants tech firms to take responsibility for illegal content Friday briefing: Theresa May wants tech firms to take responsibility for illegal content

Not allow foreign countries to conduct intelligence for the UK government unless they have a warrant under UK law

Allow for internet connection records -- the metadata of internet users -- to be allowed for use in "the pursuit of investigative leads"

Clarified the government's ambiguous position on encryption. It says companies will only be asked to remove encryption they have applied themselves and where it is practical to do so

Extra protections for journalists' sources

Between the committee's it was said the law would undermine the UK tech industry, was not clear enough in describing obligations for communications companies, didn't protect privacy of individuals, and the justifications for mass powers were not full enough.

Critics of the bill have said the government is trying to rapidly pass the legislation to avoid close scrutiny in Parliament. Conservative MP David Davis told the Independent: "It all keeps with their strategy, which is to rush everything through. They know when they engage with experts they lose."

In order to see this embed, you must give consent to Social Media cookies. Open my cookie preferences. #IPBill will be released this morning. I will comment after studying the likely 300 pages, but govt's needless rush makes me suspicious. — Paul Strasburger (@LordStras) March 1, 2016


In response the Home Office also says that it will publish an "operational case for bulk powers," to explain why GCHQ and Mi5 "need" to be able to bulk hack devices, bulk interception communications and the collection of bulk data sets. As well as this it is set to publish six codes of practices outlining how the powers of the bill may or may not be used.

A Home Office press release -- quoting a 'source' -- said: "We have considered the committees’ reports carefully and the Bill we are bringing forward today reflects the majority of their recommendations. "We have strengthened safeguards, enhanced privacy protections and bolstered oversight arrangements." The department says with its publication of the bill today it will also include full responses to each of the reports.

The bill, according to the Independent's report, will have a second reading, where it is debated, in Parliament on 14 March, followed by a committee stage for further scrutiny on 22 March and a final vote by MPs before the end of April.