UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPERT AND INDEPENDENT INTELLIGENCE OVERSIGHT IN LIGHT OF RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN DATA COLLECTION: A CASE STUDY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPERT AND INDEPENDENT INTELLIGENCE OVERSIGHT IN LIGHT OF RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN DATA COLLECTION: A CASE STUDY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

Summary/Abstract: The Snowden revelations concerning the use of bulk surveillance have uncovered shortcomings in the existing intelligence oversight architectures in several leading democracies and confronted them with a variety of new challenges generated by rapid technological advances. The impact of the disclosures has also been reflected in scholarship, namely in the way intelligence oversight is being reconceptualized as a broader form of governance beyond legal compliance. This article examines the case of the UK and investigates instances when the two main oversight institutions, namely IPCO and the ISC, have been shaping the public debate through their published reports and their engagement with civil society actors. The paper argues that oversight institutions are better equipped for shaping the democratic debate on bulk surveillance than any other societal actors due to their configuration of institutional features and statutory power. Empowering existing or creating new independent oversight entities with access to classified information and reliant on technical expertise is the way forward for democratic governance of intelligence services.

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