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Bulk Surveillance Under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016: An Analysis of European Human Rights Law Compliance and Protection / SEAN LOONEY

Swansea University Author: SEAN LOONEY

  • E-Thesis under embargo until: 26th October 2025

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.65007

Abstract

Bulk surveillance powers appear to be simultaneously contravening the general principles of European human rights law while being accepted as necessary by the jurisprudence the ECtHR and CJEU. This thesis illustrates this issue by analysing the UK Investigatory Powers Act 2016 as an example. Touted...

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Published: Swansea, Wales, UK 2023
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Macdonald, Stuart., Vaughan, Katy., Christakis, Theodore., Bannelier-Christakis, Karine.
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65007
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first_indexed 2023-11-17T15:09:48Z
last_indexed 2023-11-17T15:09:48Z
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spelling v2 65007 2023-11-17 Bulk Surveillance Under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016: An Analysis of European Human Rights Law Compliance and Protection 93d1f815af1e5d9711449ad1cda6decb SEAN LOONEY SEAN LOONEY true false 2023-11-17 Bulk surveillance powers appear to be simultaneously contravening the general principles of European human rights law while being accepted as necessary by the jurisprudence the ECtHR and CJEU. This thesis illustrates this issue by analysing the UK Investigatory Powers Act 2016 as an example. Touted as the example for a modern bulk surveillance apparatus, the IPA instead shows how the human rights protection provided by the ECtHR and CJEU does not adequately protect against the dangers of bulk surveillance. This thesis first provides the legislative history and framework for the IPA before providing an analysis of the bulk surveillance powers described in the IPA, focusing on how they are described in the legislation, how they work in practice and what harms they incur. The takeaways from these analyses are two-fold. First, the harms caused by the use of these bulk powers goes beyond harms to privacy. Bulk powers also impact on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Second, each of these bulk powers operates in a qualitatively different way and thus the level of protection provided by safeguarding must be tailored to each individual power. These chapters are complemented by an analysis of the ECtHR’s approach to bulk interception caselaw, and the CJEU’s approach to data retention caselaw. These chapters find that both the ECtHR and CJEU allow for the use of bulk surveillance powers but limit their use through the use of required levels of safeguarding. Given the wide scope of harms caused by these bulk powers these safeguards aren’t sufficient. Returning to the IPA, the thesis presents the case that the authorisation procedures, supervision and review mechanisms contained within the legislation cannot account for the harms caused by the use of these bulk powers while simultaneously being likely to be judged as compatible with the ECHR and EU law. Finally, the thesis proposes possible improvements for the IPA’s legislative framework. E-Thesis Swansea, Wales, UK Law, Human Rights, Surveillance, ECHR, CJEU 25 10 2023 2023-10-25 10.23889/SUthesis.65007 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Macdonald, Stuart., Vaughan, Katy., Christakis, Theodore., Bannelier-Christakis, Karine. Doctoral Ph.D Cotutelle w/ Grenoble University Cotutelle w/ Grenoble University 2023-11-17T15:15:37.1538956 2023-11-17T15:06:18.2417060 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law SEAN LOONEY 1 Under embargo Under embargo 2023-11-17T15:10:02.5680585 Output 1940712 application/pdf E-Thesis true 2025-10-26T00:00:00.0000000 Copyright: The Author, Seán Looney, 2023. true eng
title Bulk Surveillance Under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016: An Analysis of European Human Rights Law Compliance and Protection
spellingShingle Bulk Surveillance Under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016: An Analysis of European Human Rights Law Compliance and Protection
SEAN LOONEY
title_short Bulk Surveillance Under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016: An Analysis of European Human Rights Law Compliance and Protection
title_full Bulk Surveillance Under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016: An Analysis of European Human Rights Law Compliance and Protection
title_fullStr Bulk Surveillance Under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016: An Analysis of European Human Rights Law Compliance and Protection
title_full_unstemmed Bulk Surveillance Under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016: An Analysis of European Human Rights Law Compliance and Protection
title_sort Bulk Surveillance Under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016: An Analysis of European Human Rights Law Compliance and Protection
author_id_str_mv 93d1f815af1e5d9711449ad1cda6decb
author_id_fullname_str_mv 93d1f815af1e5d9711449ad1cda6decb_***_SEAN LOONEY
author SEAN LOONEY
author2 SEAN LOONEY
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2023
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUthesis.65007
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law
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description Bulk surveillance powers appear to be simultaneously contravening the general principles of European human rights law while being accepted as necessary by the jurisprudence the ECtHR and CJEU. This thesis illustrates this issue by analysing the UK Investigatory Powers Act 2016 as an example. Touted as the example for a modern bulk surveillance apparatus, the IPA instead shows how the human rights protection provided by the ECtHR and CJEU does not adequately protect against the dangers of bulk surveillance. This thesis first provides the legislative history and framework for the IPA before providing an analysis of the bulk surveillance powers described in the IPA, focusing on how they are described in the legislation, how they work in practice and what harms they incur. The takeaways from these analyses are two-fold. First, the harms caused by the use of these bulk powers goes beyond harms to privacy. Bulk powers also impact on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Second, each of these bulk powers operates in a qualitatively different way and thus the level of protection provided by safeguarding must be tailored to each individual power. These chapters are complemented by an analysis of the ECtHR’s approach to bulk interception caselaw, and the CJEU’s approach to data retention caselaw. These chapters find that both the ECtHR and CJEU allow for the use of bulk surveillance powers but limit their use through the use of required levels of safeguarding. Given the wide scope of harms caused by these bulk powers these safeguards aren’t sufficient. Returning to the IPA, the thesis presents the case that the authorisation procedures, supervision and review mechanisms contained within the legislation cannot account for the harms caused by the use of these bulk powers while simultaneously being likely to be judged as compatible with the ECHR and EU law. Finally, the thesis proposes possible improvements for the IPA’s legislative framework.
published_date 2023-10-25T15:15:39Z
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score 11.013395

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