Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Interception definition

What does Interception mean? Interception describes obtaining the content of a communication by acting on a telecommunication system so that the message is made available to someone other than the sender or intended recipient. In the UK, the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 defines interception: a person intercepts a communication in the course of its transmission if, and only if, they do a relevant act in relation to the system and the effect is to make any content available, at a relevant time, to a non-sender/non-recipient. A relevant act includes modifying or monitoring the system or its transmissions; a relevant time includes while...

IPA 2016 interception of communications: offences, targeted/bulk warrants, LPP and journalistic safeguards, urgency/modification, implementation, and admissibility in proceedings (UK)

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Practice notes

The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA 2016)

The IPA 2016 establishes the statutory framework regulating covert surveillance by public authorities, superseding what had previously been largely—though not entirely—set out in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA 2000). In May 2021, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgment in Big Brother Watch v UK, addressing the historic reliance on RIPA 2000 to authorise bulk Interception operations. The Grand Chamber accepted that bulk interception and international data sharing can be necessary in a democratic society, while urging a range of Safeguards—such as independent authorisation and protections for confidential material—which are now, for the most part, reflected in the IPA. See News Analysis: Another blow for UK’s intelligence gathering regime (Big Brother Watch and others v the United Kingdom). Where those safeguards required legislative amendment—namely, additional protections for the selection and examination of confidential journalistic material or journalistic sources obtained under a bulk interception warrant—they were implemented by the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (Remedial) Order 2024, SI 2024/514. Comparable protections were subsequently introduced for such material derived from bulk equipment interference warrants by section 27 of the Investigatory Powers...

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Richard Hanstock

Cornerstone Barristers

Richard is a public law barrister who enjoys applying the law to build and maintain sustainable communities. He advises and represents a wide range of public authorities, including local councils, government departments and police forces, as well as private individuals, companies and interest groups. Having volunteered as a police officer for 13 years, Richard is well-equipped to provide highly practical and realistic advice alongside robust and persuasive advocacy inside and outside court. He has extensive experience of managing anti-social behaviour, disorder within licensed premises and persistent breaches of planning control, supporting clients to navigate challenging legal landscapes to achieve a just outcome for communities, businesses and individuals. Richard is a deep specialist in the regulation of investigatory powers, including confiscation proceedings and police law. He is an expert in computer misuse and cyber security, building on his academic research on denial of service attacks at the...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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