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<h1 class="title-news"> David Cameron Says GCHQ Operates 'Within The
Law', Following Prism Revelations </h1>
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<p> <b>The Huffington Post UK</b> | By <a
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ned-simons" rel="author">Ned
Simons</a> <span class="follow-author-mini"></span> <span
style="display: block;" class="posted-and-updated"> Posted: <span
itemprop="datePublished">10/06/2013 12:14 BST</span> | Updated:
<span itemprop="dateModified">10/06/2013 12:14 </span></span></p>
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<p>David Cameron has said British intelligence agencies operate
"within a legal framework", as MPs prepare to grill William Hague
on GCHQ's involvement with the American Prism internet
surveillance system.</p>
<p>"I think it is right that we have well-organised, well-funded
intelligence services to help keep us safe," the prime minister
said on Monday morning.</p>
<p>"But let me be absolutely clear. They are intelligence services
that operate within the law, within a law that we have laid down,
and they are also subject to proper scrutiny by the intelligence
and security committee (ISC) in the House of Commons."</p>
<p>The foreign secretary, who is due to make a statement on the
allegations in the Commons later, has said the law-abiding British
public had "nothing to fear" from the work of GCHQ.</p>
<p>However MPs are likely to press Hague on whether the intelligence
service has always abided by the legal framework.</p>
<p>Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the chairman of the ISC, told BBC Radio 4's
Today programme that GCHQ would have needed to ask ministers
before requesting information on British citizens' internet
activity from the United States.</p>
<p>"The law is actually quite clear: if the British intelligence
agencies are seeking to know the content of emails by people
living in the UK, then they actually have to get lawful authority.
Normally that means ministerial authority," he said.</p>
<p>"That applies equally whether they are going to do the intercept
themselves or whether they are going to ask somebody else to do it
on their behalf."</p>
<p>The <a
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/10/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower_n_3413558.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-politics"
target="_hplink">whistleblower who exposed the programme</a> has
condemned the US government's attempts "to destroy privacy,
internet freedom and basic liberty".</p>
<p>Details about the programme, and GCHQ's links to it, emerged in <a
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2013/jun/10/edward-snowden-revealed-as-nsa-whistleblower-reaction-live"
target="_hplink">The Guardian</a> newspaper following a leak by
a former technical worker at the CIA and National Security Agency
(NSA).</p>
<p>Edward Snowden, 29, an American IT administrator for the defence
contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, <a
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/10/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower_n_3413558.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-politics"
target="_hplink">revealed his identity</a> at his own request,
the newspaper said.</p>
<p>Snowden, who fled to Hong Kong, said: "I can't allow the US
government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic
liberties. My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which
is done in their name and that which is done against them."</p>
<p>Prism is said to give the NSA and FBI easy access to the systems
of nine of the world's top internet companies, including Google,
Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo and Skype.</p>
<p>The row crossed the Atlantic after documents emerged suggesting
British eavesdropping agency GCHQ had access to the system since
at least June 2010.</p>
<p>On Monday Downing Street said the UK has "exceptional"
intelligence sharing with the US but said it would not comment on
specific trans-atlantic conversations that may or may not have
happened in relation to Prism.</p>
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