UK’s “Snooper’s Charter” survives privacy court challenge

Union flags fly near the The Elizabeth Tower, commonly known Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament in London on February 1, 2017. British MPs are expected Wednesday to approve the first stage of a bill empowering Prime Minister Theresa May to start pulling Britain out of the European Union. Ahead of the vote, which was scheduled to take place at 7:00 pm (1900 GMT), MPs were debating the legislation which would allow the government to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, formally beginning two years of exit negotiations. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS

The so-called Snooper’s Charter, which allows the UK government to access data from emails and mobile phones, survived a court challenge from a privacy group. 

A pair of UK judges dismissed the lawsuit Monday, saying they weren’t persuaded that the legislation is incompatible with European Union rules. Judge Rabinder Singh said the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act included several “safeguards against the possible abuse of power”.