Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn
UK Internet Service Providers in mass observation exercise. We asked our ISP.
We identified recently that two unnamed ISPs were involved in a mass observation exercise with the UK Government. So we asked our ISP if it was involved and explained that we have a statutory responsibility to keep our client's information secure (GDPR) along with a contractual obligation not to disclose anything unless we are legally obliged to do so (for example, through Anti-Money Laundering information). We also explained that some of the information carried is subject to professional privilege and some to legal privilege.
This is the response received today from Virgin Media: -
Good morning
Thank you for your enquiry.
As a regulated communications provider Virgin Media is unable to comment on the nature or extent of any lawful demands made by UK authorities to disclose information in relation to Investigatory Powers, except to say that Virgin Media complies with its legal obligations and will only disclose information where it has a legal obligation to do so.
For more information on how we collect and use personal data please see our privacy notice set out here: https://www.virginmediabusiness.co.uk/legal/privacy-policy/
Our consumer privacy policy is here: https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/the-legal-stuff/privacy-policy
If you have any questions or require further information about how we use personal data please contact [email protected].
If you are not satisfied with our response you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/). It is also within your rights to contact any government authority you believe may have requested your information from a communication provider
Now we have already contacted the ICO on this and, to put it bluntly, they couldn't give a damn (thanks Rhett). So it seems that HMG can legally spy on us, our clients, legal correspondence, Tribunal correspondence and indeed HMRC correspondence. Still, it could be worse, in some authoritarian states I could get arrested for protesting about it - oops sorry, forgot about that, yes I can under new UK law.
Steve Botham