GCHQ 'read thousands of private communications a day'

GCHQ spies read thousands of private communications each day by using bulk interception methods, a long-awaited report has revealed.

Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee said that that analysts at the security organisation collect "large numbers of items", but added that they have all been "targeted in some way".

The Committee said the "incidental" collection of some innocent communications was "unavoidable", but insisted only exchanges involving suspected criminals or national security targets were deliberately chosen for examination.

The report, which was heavily redacted, said only a tiny percentage of internet traffic is selected for reading by GCHQ analysts, but added that this still amounts to several thousand items a day.