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| Britain Says It Follows Law in Gathering Intelligence | Britain Says It Follows Law in Gathering Intelligence |
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| LONDON — Ahead of a parliamentary statement concerning claims that Britain had access to a secret American intelligence-gathering system, the British government said Monday that its agencies operated within the law when gathering information on its citizens. | LONDON — Ahead of a parliamentary statement concerning claims that Britain had access to a secret American intelligence-gathering system, the British government said Monday that its agencies operated within the law when gathering information on its citizens. |
| William Hague, Britain’s foreign secretary, is to address Parliament on Monday afternoon about the allegations, with the opposition Labour Party calling for clear assurances that legal constraints had been observed. | William Hague, Britain’s foreign secretary, is to address Parliament on Monday afternoon about the allegations, with the opposition Labour Party calling for clear assurances that legal constraints had been observed. |
| So far, the British government has neither confirmed nor denied reports that it had been given information from an American surveillance program called Prism, which is said to have collected Internet data on foreigners abroad from companies including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo and Skype. | So far, the British government has neither confirmed nor denied reports that it had been given information from an American surveillance program called Prism, which is said to have collected Internet data on foreigners abroad from companies including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo and Skype. |
| Last week, The Guardian newspaper reported that Britain’s intelligence-gathering facility, Government Communications Headquarters, known as GCHQ, generated 197 intelligence reports through the system in the year to May 2012. GCHQ has refused to comment on the details of the claims but said in a statement that its work “is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework which ensures that our activities are authorized, necessary and proportionate, and that there is rigorous oversight.” | Last week, The Guardian newspaper reported that Britain’s intelligence-gathering facility, Government Communications Headquarters, known as GCHQ, generated 197 intelligence reports through the system in the year to May 2012. GCHQ has refused to comment on the details of the claims but said in a statement that its work “is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework which ensures that our activities are authorized, necessary and proportionate, and that there is rigorous oversight.” |
| Answering questions after making a speech in Essex, Prime Minister David Cameron praised the work of the British intelligence services and said they operated within the law. | |
| “The intelligence services operate within the law, within the law that we have laid down, and they are also subject to proper scrutiny by the intelligence and security committee of the House of Commons,” he said. | |
| “I see every day the vital work they do to keep us safe,” he said, “but it is vital work that is done under a legal framework within the law and subject to proper scrutiny by the intelligence and security committee.” | |
| Though he added that he was satisfied that British agencies operate in a proper way, Mr. Cameron also said that the government could not give a “running commentary” on intelligence issues. | |
| Malcolm Rifkind, a former foreign secretary who is now chairman of a parliamentary intelligence and security committee, told the BBC that any specific requests from British agencies for information from the United States would need to be authorized. | |
| “The law is quite clear,” Mr. Rifkind said. “If the British intelligence agencies are seeking to know the content of e-mails about people living in the United Kingdom, then they have to get authority. That means ministerial authority.” However, the Prism program gathers metadata — information about patterns and locations of communications — rather than content. | |
| The rules governing information volunteered to the British authorities appears less clear, and Mr. Hague may be challenged on these rules when he speaks later Monday. | The rules governing information volunteered to the British authorities appears less clear, and Mr. Hague may be challenged on these rules when he speaks later Monday. |
| Douglas Alexander, the spokesman on foreign affairs for the Labour Party, told the BBC that while secret agencies “do vital work,” it is “also vital that the public have confidence that they are operating in a framework of legality.” | Douglas Alexander, the spokesman on foreign affairs for the Labour Party, told the BBC that while secret agencies “do vital work,” it is “also vital that the public have confidence that they are operating in a framework of legality.” |
| Mr. Hague needs to “give assurances” to Parliament, he said. | Mr. Hague needs to “give assurances” to Parliament, he said. |