Privacy and civil liberties campaigners are concerned about the UK Government’s plans to introduce new surveillance powers which will force banks and building societies to scan accounts of anyone linked to benefit claimants under the premise of detecting welfare fraud and error.
Susannah Copson, a legal and policy officer at Big Brother Watch said:
“The government’s amendments aim to police the spending of the poorest in our society”
“This isn’t about fraud prevention; it’s a potential audit of people’s spending choices, a total overstep of state power and would greatly expand surveillance capabilities.”