‘Brits must accept less digital freedom for more security’

The British must be prepared to further restrict their digital civil rights in the fight against serious crime and terrorism, the boss of the British National Crime Agency said in an interview.

In an interview with The Guardian, NCA director Keith Bristow states that criminals and terrorists are increasingly moving their activities to the internet. While admitting that British police and intelligence agencies face an ‘image problem’ following the Snowden revelations, the British people should still be convinced to give services like the NCA greater powers, including to monitor e-mail. mail and telephone traffic.

According to Bristow, expanding the powers of the National Crime Agency, also known as the ‘British FBI’, is necessary for national security as investigative services threaten to fall behind in effectively fighting crime and terrorism. However, the CEO emphasizes that the request for new powers must be presented openly to the people and, if approved, must be implemented through legislation.

The NCA boss sees Snowden’s leaks to, among others, The Guardian as betrayal, but Bristow also believes that the objections expressed about far-reaching violations of privacy by the government and secret wiretapping programs are legitimate. By educating the public better about the need for such programs, the public will gain a better understanding of the policies pursued, Bristow said.

The National Crime Agency is an organization established in 2013 to tackle serious crime in the United Kingdom. The British government wants to give the NCA more powers and say in counter-terrorism, among other things, at the expense of other British police forces.