THE mass data collection regimes of Britain’s spy agencies lack proper oversight and are unlawful, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Campaign group Privacy International is asking the Investigatory Powers Tribunal to review its previous judgement, which found that the regimes had been unlawful but ceased to be when their existence was publicly acknowledged in 2015.

New information from electronic spying agency GCHQ shows that previous evidence on bulk personal datasets directions was “materially misleading,” Privacy International argues.

In written submissions, the campaign group argues that the sharing of data with private contractors gives rise to “the risk of untraceable and untraced abuse of the [data] systems” by external individuals.

Ben Jaffey QC, for Privacy International, said it appeared that GCHQ “relies extremely heavily on external companies to develop its analysis systems” and operate them once developed

The hearing continues.