News: UK Local Authority use of RIPA to be Restricted

From the Times: The Home Secretary Alan Johnson has announced curbs to the surveillance powers of local authorities. Computer Weekly summarises the important proposals as follows:

• raise the rank of the authorising officer to at least director level;

• give elected councillors a role in overseeing how local authorities use covert investigatory techniques;

• require voters' communications with MPs on constituency business to be treated as confidential information, and therefore subject to authorisation by a higher rank of officer;

• treat covert surveillance of legal consultations as "intrusive" rather than "directed" surveillance, meaning it can be carried out only by very few public authorities.

• clarify the test of necessity and proportionality so that powers will not be used to investigate dog fouling or people putting bins out a day early;