The Interception of Communications Commissioner was a regulatory official in the United Kingdom, appointed under section 57 of the
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ( c.23) (RIP or RIPA) 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 comm ...
, and previously under section 8 of the
Interception of Communications Act 1985
The Interception of Communications Act 1985 (1985 c. 56) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It came into operation as of 10 April 1986.
The Act created the offence of unlawfully intercepting communications sent by post or by a "pub ...
.
The Interception of Communications Commissioner ensured that government agencies acted in accordance with their legal responsibilities when intercepting communications. The Commissioner also reviewed the role of the
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
in issuing interception warrants.
The Interception of Communications Commissioner has been replaced by the
Investigatory Powers Commissioner
The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (c. 25) (nicknamed the Snoopers' Charter) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which received royal assent on 29 November 2016. Its different parts came into force on various dates from 30 December 2 ...
by the
Investigatory Powers Act 2016
The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (c. 25) (nicknamed the Snoopers' Charter) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which received royal assent on 29 November 2016. Its different parts came into force on various dates from 30 December 2 ...
.
Commissioners
*1985–1992:
Sir Anthony Lloyd
*1992–1994:
Sir Thomas Bingham
*1994–2000:
Lord Nolan
Michael Patrick Nolan, Baron Nolan, (10 September 1928 – 22 January 2007) was a judge in the United Kingdom, and from 1994 until 1997 was the first chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. In the words of his obituary in ''The ...
*2000–2006:
Sir Swinton Thomas
*2006–2012:
Sir Paul Kennedy
*2013–2015:
Sir Anthony May
**Sir Paul Kennedy served as interim Interception of Communications Commissioner during Sir Anthony May's absence July through December 2014.
*2015–2017:
Sir Stanley Burnton
References
{{Reflist
Government of the United Kingdom
Telecommunications organisations in the United Kingdom