It’s official. The Snoopers’ Charter is illegal.

The EU’s highest court just ruled that the ‘general and indiscriminate’ collection of our internet data is a breach of our fundamental rights, and exposes us to constant surveillance.

The SumOfUs community knew this already - that’s why over 70,000 of us signed a petition earlier this year to stop the Snoopers’ Charter, and thousands of you got in touch with your MP to ensure the bill got a strong, independent review.

Unfortunately, the bill was passed and recently came into law. But this EU ruling gives us fresh hope. Now is the time to demand a rewrite.

Tell Theresa May to keep her hands off our data and scrap the inclusion of Internet Connection Records from the Snoopers’ Charter.

The Investigatory Powers Act (aka Snoopers' Charter) puts the capabilities revealed by Edward Snowden into the statute books and increases the state's surveillance powers. The act includes the collection of ‘bulk personal data sets’ -- databases of personal information including everything from the electoral register to our medical records to our supermarket loyalty schemes. Even worse, it also collects so-called ‘Internet Connection Records’ -- a record of every single website you have visited in the last 12 months.

That’s why SumOfUs members have been been fighting against it so hard.

Theresa May’s argument is that mass surveillance is more effective at tackling serious crime. Well, it may be effective, but handing over our private data willy nilly to government departments and companies isn’t ethical. Having CCTV cameras in every home may be effective at stopping crime too, but that doesn’t make it ok!

Tell Theresa May to keep her hands off our data and scrap the inclusion of Internet Connection Records from the Snoopers’ Charter.

Now more than ever, it is imperative that ordinary people like us take a stand for our rights. As we prepare to leave the EU and the protections of the European Court of Justice, we must enshrine our right to privacy as soon as possible within UK law.

It was public pressure that lead Theresa May to agree an independent review of the Snoopers' Charter. SumOfUs members got involved, and wrote to their MPs all over the country.

SumOfUs exists for exactly this reason -- to use our collective power to curb shady deals between industry and government that go against the public interest. We’ve already signed petitions, and written to our MPs in our thousands. Now, with this new EU court ruling and an impending Brexit, we need to step up our efforts to stop mass surveillance -- and fast.

Will you tell Theresa May to keep her hands off our data and scrap the inclusion of Internet Connection Records from the Snoopers’ Charter.

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