Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she authorised the UK’s classification of (a) Google, (b) Facebook, (c) webmail services and (d) other companies that operate in the UK as external communications.

James Brokenshire

External Communication is defined within the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 and the statutory Interception of Communications Code of Practice which was approved by Parliament and came into force on 1 July 2002. The Government has no present plans to amend the definition of external communication.

Under RIPA, interception warrants are issued by the Secretary of State.