Councils used 'snooper's charter' more than 10,000 times

Still more Council abuse of RIPA. The really shocking information here is just 9% of these investigations led to a successful prosecution, so 91% of their snooping could be described as unfounded.

Surveillance powers originally designed to counter the threat of terrorism and safeguard national security have been used by local councils more than 10,000 times over the past five years - often for “crimes” as minor as littering, it emerged today.

Details disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act showed that councils in England and Wales used powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to investigate offences ranging from dog fouling to taxi overcharging. more...