Author(s): Silviu C. PAICU
Publication name: Romanian Intelligence Studies Review
Publisher name: Mihai Viteazul National Intelligence Academy
Publication type: Journal article
Publication date: June 30, 2022
Pagination:
Issue/ Volume: 27/2022
DOI:
Abstract:
The Snowden revelations concerning the use of bulk surveillance have uncovered
shortcomings in the existing intelligence oversight architectures in several leading
democracies and confronted them with a variety of new challenges generated by rapid
technological advances. The impact of the disclosures has also been reflected in
scholarship, namely in the way intelligence oversight is being reconceptualized as a
broader form of governance beyond legal compliance. This article examines the case of
the UK and investigates instances when the two main oversight institutions, namely IPCO
and the ISC, have been shaping the public debate through their published reports and their
engagement with civil society actors. The paper argues that oversight institutions are
better equipped for shaping the democratic debate on bulk surveillance than any other
societal actors due to their configuration of institutional features and statutory power.
Empowering existing or creating new independent oversight entities with access to
classified information and reliant on technical expertise is the way forward for democratic
governance of intelligence services.
Keywords: intelligence oversight, bulk surveillance, Big Data, societal debate,
democratic intelligence governance, United Kingdom.
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