UK spy laws risk harming innocent people, review warns

​​​​​​​By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The UK’s new National Security Act gives authorities sweeping powers to counter hostile activity by foreign states, but those powers risk being misused unless applied with extreme care, according to an independent review on Tuesday.

Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of state threats legislation, said the law represents a significant expansion of the UK’s response to “the malign activities of foreign states below the threshold of armed conflict”.

In his report to parliament, Hall wrote: “This is an independent review in the United Kingdom’s legislative response to the malign activities of foreign states below the threshold of armed conflict.”

He noted that the government has “tooled up against these ‘state threats’ by granting major new powers to the authorities, updating old spy laws, and creating genuinely novel criminal offences such as ‘foreign interference’, ‘sabotage’, ‘theft of trade secrets’, and ‘assisting a foreign intelligence service.’”

But Hall warned that some of the powers extend “well into the zone of political activity, journalism, protest and day-to-day human activity” and must be carefully monitored to prevent overreach.

Hall said that while prosecutors are likely to avoid borderline cases, there remains a risk that fear of investigation could chill legitimate journalism, academic research and political debate.

He also raised concerns about the effect of new police powers on protests near sensitive sites such as military bases and intelligence facilities, warning that safeguards may be insufficient.

The National Security Act was introduced in 2023 to replace outdated espionage laws dating to the early 20th century.

Hall concluded that continued scrutiny would be essential to prevent unintended harm.​​​​​​​