H service UK intelligence agency GCHQ is not breaking the law when it hacks into computers, a court has ruled.
Οι λεπτομέρειες της συμμετοχής της υπηρεσίας πληροφοριών του Ηνωμένου Βασιλείου στην εκμετάλλευση δίκτυο υπολογιστών, αποκαλύφθηκαν για πρώτη φορά από τον Edward Snowden.
The case was taken to court, and GCHQ admitted to hacking into computers "inside and outside the UK", and that about one-fifth of the information it collects came from hacking.
GCHQ may infringe vulnerable points of almost every device such as cameras, computers, firewalls, smart devices, and objects considered part of the Internet of Things, such as toys and thermostats.
The court ruling published on Friday (PDF), states that the declared hacking efforts of the service "raised a number of serious questions", but, citing evidence, concluded that a "proper balance" should be struck between the needs of the intelligence service and public guarantees.
Scarlet Kim, the legal adviser to Privacy International, which had denounced the case, said his team was "disappointed" and would appeal the decision.
"Allowing governments to hack puts the security, stability of the Internet and information exchanged at stake," Kim said.
He added: "This case exposed not only the practices of the secret services, but also the anti-democratic way in which the government operates, which wants to legitimize this practice."
On the other hand, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, whose office oversees GCHQ, welcomed the decision, adding (BBC News) that the ability to exploit computer networks "plays a crucial role in our ability to protect the British public."
