Sweeping surveillance powers okayed in Britain

The British parliament this week gave the green light to new bulk surveillance powers for police and intelligence services that critics have denounced as the most farreaching of any western democracy. The Investigatory Powers Bill would, among other measures, require websites to keep customers’ browsing history for up to a year and allow law enforcement agencies to access them to help with investigations. Edward Snowden, the former US NSA contractor turned whistleblower, said the powers “went further than many autocracies”.