UK surveillance law still full of holes, watchdog warns

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s annual report flags persistent gaps in the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act and the 2024 amendment, including absent oversight of privileged data received from foreign partners, unclear exemptions that can shield UK intelligence agencies from reporting serious personal data breaches, ambiguous communications data definitions (especially for financial transaction data), and an unacceptable lack of a coherent plan to replace aging LEA IT systems; it also supports greater transparency around Technical Capability Notices—spotlit by the Apple case—to foster informed public debate on balancing strong encryption with lawful access.