Brent council has backed down from giving Covid enforcement officers spy powers to catch suspected rule-breakers.
Silkie Carlo, Director of Big Brother Watch said:
“This is a welcome U-turn from Brent Council, but it’s worrying that councils were planning unlawful covert operations in their rush to clamp down on residents.
“No one would even have known about this serious mission creep had it not been for the efforts of Big Brother Watch and Metro.co.uk.
“Attempts to secretly deploy Covid officers would not only be outside of their legal powers but also undermine public trust in local authorities at a critical time. We will not defeat this virus by treating the public like criminals.”
Metro — Council backs down from giving Covid officers power to spy on people