back to article Investigatory Powers Tribunal scraps its first annual report

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the only judicial body in Britain allowed to hold spies to account, has scrapped its inaugural annual report. Communications between the IPT and a P. John through WhatDoTheyKnow.com noted that despite the judicial body promising a report on "the Tribunal’s Membership, procedures, case …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I wont hold my breath.

  2. Camilla Smythe

    Ooooops....

    Cancelled?

    Don't Juggle Bollocks on The Phone. You might drop one.

    Elsewhere...

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/tomwarren/the-national-crime-agency-is-in-chaos-over-unlawful-raids

    Cough....

    The revelations that the NCA has engaged in unlawful search and surveillance will heap further pressure on May as she battles fierce opposition to her draft investigatory powers bill – dubbed a snoopers’ charter by critics – which would allow the “bulk interception” of web data by the authorities.

    Cough. Splutter.

    I should not treat it so lightly. Looks like some serious questions need asking and answering or they need to get out the Asbestos Carpet and Brush. I suppose the latter will be their preferred attempted course of action.

  3. Velv
    Black Helicopters

    Just how hard is it to publish 300 pages of black box redacted text?

    1. Dazed and Confused

      Re: Just how hard is it to publish 300 pages of black box redacted text?

      It turns out it isn't only 300 pages, that was just the intro. The full report (redacted) runs to over 300 reams, and they can't find enough toner cartridges to black box that lot.

    2. RobHib
      Joke

      @Velv - Reading matter.

      So it's just as easy to read with the lights on or off?

      1. Trigonoceps occipitalis

        Re: @Velv - Reading matter.

        So not only holding spooks to account, also tackling global warming!

      2. Naughtyhorse

        Re: @Velv - Reading matter.

        personally Im waiting for the film to come out....

        could be another challenger for the worlds most boring movie;;;

        http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/23/paint_drying_movie/

  4. DavCrav

    "Asked if the commitment to annual reports was now being questioned, the speaker began to give us an answer before the line went suddenly dead. We can presume some ultimately unattributable has beset the IPT's phone lines as it took us several attempts to reconnect.

    When we did so, the gentlemen we spoke to informed us "it froze" and told The Register to send an email with its question regarding whether the IPT's report would be published before the final draft of the government's Investigatory Powers Bill is introduced to Parliament."

    So, something like "yes, I have a great answer for that, SSSHHHHSHHHSHHH, sorry, I'm entering a tunnel, CCRKKCRKK, you're breaking up, can't hear you" *click*.

  5. Adrian Midgley 1

    Attempting to convey untrustworthiness or incompetence

    perhaps.

  6. Chris G

    In the interests of open-ness

    And full accountability....................... We are saying nothing!

    We're being watched you know!

  7. phil dude
  8. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Unhappy

    Well!

    I'm just soooooo surprised by this.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "The Tribunal is not required to report publicly"

    plain English:...

    oh dear, do I really need to use the F-word again?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "The Tribunal is not required to report publicly"

      oh dear, do I really need to use the F-word again?

      The one that means "fornication" but with fewer characters? :)

      1. Bernard M. Orwell

        Re: "The Tribunal is not required to report publicly"

        "The Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the only judicial body in Britain allowed to hold spies to account..."

        "The Tribunal is not required to report publicly...."

        So, they are accountable to whom, precisely?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    perhaps the report revealed too much

    and was therefore labelled as "classified"?

  11. Gray
    Devil

    Universal government strategy

    Smoke ... mirrors ... obfuscation ... half-truths ... polished lies. Same old, same old. Nothing to see here, so move along please.

    (After all, the spirit of the public obligation was satisfied by the commitment to transparency, but reasonable people must understand that unforeseen circumstances dictate cautionary excisions and redactions!)

  12. MyffyW Silver badge

    Did we really expect transparency?

    The real answer is don't give any more powers than strictly necessary to government of any form. And don't be surprised when they use those powers in a cavalier manner.

  13. FatGerman

    Other Obligatory YM Quote

    Humphrey: "How are things at the campaign for freedom of information?"

    Arnold: "Oh, I can't talk about that"

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