Hague: Snooping claim 'baseless'
The Foreign Secretary has dismissed claims that spy centre GCHQ used private data from US security agencies to circumvent British laws are "baseless."
US 'spying' suggests 'contempt for privacy and legality'
Shami Chakrabarti said the reports that US intelligence officials have been collecting information on people's internet activity from service providers suggests a "breach of trust on the grandest scale." The director of human rights group Liberty said:
"These reports suggest a breach of trust on the grandest scale with the US Government, Internet Service Providers and our own UK intelligence community showing contempt for privacy, legality and democracy itself.
"Don't we still believe that spies should be accountable to the public they serve and protect? This is the kind of arrogance behind the attempted "snoopers' charter". Have those who failed to persuade in the Parliament chamber decided to smuggle blanket surveillance in through the back door?"
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Government insists British spies operate within the law
The Foreign Secretary said British intelligence would never use its partnership with the United States to get around UK laws.
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GCHQ: From Cromwell to the internet
GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) is one of three UK intelligence agencies that form the UK's security and intelligence system.
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US spy programme claims raises privacy fears in the UK
Facebook, Google and Microsoft have all denied claims that they cooperated with US intelligence agencies to gather data on foreign users.