Interception of Communications Act 1985
Encyclopedia
The Interception of Communications Act 1985 (1985 c. 56) was an Act of Parliament
in the United Kingdom
. It came into operation as of April 10, 1986.
The Act created the offence of unlawfully intercepting communications sent by post or by a "public telecommunications system"; those guilty were liable, on conviction, to a fine or up to two years imprisonment. It provided for a system of warrants to permit legal interception, and laid down cases where interception could be done lawfully, stating that having reasonable grounds to believe that the other party consented to interception was a defence.
The Act also established a complaints tribunal (which in 2000 was subsumed into the Investigatory Powers Tribunal
), and created the post of Interception of Communications Commissioner to review the workings of the Act. It amended parts of the Telecommunications Act 1984.
This Act has since been repealed by schedule 1 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It came into operation as of April 10, 1986.
The Act created the offence of unlawfully intercepting communications sent by post or by a "public telecommunications system"; those guilty were liable, on conviction, to a fine or up to two years imprisonment. It provided for a system of warrants to permit legal interception, and laid down cases where interception could be done lawfully, stating that having reasonable grounds to believe that the other party consented to interception was a defence.
The Act also established a complaints tribunal (which in 2000 was subsumed into the Investigatory Powers Tribunal
Investigatory Powers Tribunal
In the United Kingdom, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal is a judicial body, independent of the British Government, which hears complaints about surveillance by public bodies...
), and created the post of Interception of Communications Commissioner to review the workings of the Act. It amended parts of the Telecommunications Act 1984.
This Act has since been repealed by schedule 1 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, regulating the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillance and investigation, and covering the interception of communications...
.