Expert legal advice commissioned by digital rights group Big Brother Watch (BBW) and published in The Times (£) has cautioned that the UK government's plan to grant additional powers to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to scrutinise personal financial data in an effort to reduce benefit fraud may violate the public's right to privacy. The new powers, which are part of the government's proposals within the Data Protection and Digital Information (DPDI) Bill, would force banks to scan all customer accounts in search of welfare fraud or errors. However, according to the legal advice provided by Dan Squires KC and Aidan Wills of Matrix Chambers, this could breach privacy rights and individuals' rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, and protection from discrimination.
In a statement, BBW Director Silke Carlo said, "Everyone wants fraudulent uses of public money to be dealt with, and the government already has powers to review the bank statements of suspects. However, this is a completely unprecedented regime of intrusive generalised financial surveillance across the population, not restricted to serious crime or even crime at all."
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