Sir Keir Starmer resurrected powers to spy on all of our bank accounts on the premise of dealing with welfare fraud and error which we defeated under the previous government.
The powers will force our banks to spy on us and report back to the DWP if it appears you have received an overpayment of benefits - whether due to fraud or error - based on secret criteria. They are not fit for a democracy and risk giving rise to horizon-style injustices for hundreds of thousands of people.
While these powers are set to become law, Big Brother Watch raised the alarm at every stage of the passage of the bank spying bill:
242,290 people signed our petition on this and we handed it in to both Number 10 Downing Street and the DWP.
We presented evidence before the bill committee, briefed MPs, and coordinated a huge civil society opposition to the powers.
We secured legal protections to ensure that anyone flagged by these mass surveillance powers can't automatically be treated as guilty of wrongdoing, preventing automated robo-debt style scandals.
Big Brother Watch will keep a close eye on the new surveillance powers as they come into force and continue to recommend changes as the government considers its own code of practice.
Find out how the new mass bank spying powers work and how they could impact you.
