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Interception of communication applications decrease

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Applications for the lawful interception of communication have decreased by half for the last reporting cycle compared to the previous reporting one. This is according to the Office of the Intelligence Oversight Judge.
The designate Judge for Intelligence Oversight, Justice John Musi, has released his report on the lawful interception of communication for the period November 2017 to 31st October 2018.

The applications have gone down substantially from over a thousand in 2016/17 down to five hundred and seventy eight in 2017/18. State Security applications dropped by 245. South African Police Service (SAPS) by 320 and the Financial Intelligence Centre by 13.

Applications are often used to thwart murders, cash in transit robberies, business and house robberies and drug trafficking. Operations led to the recovery of drugs, money, stolen vehicles, firearms and ammunition.
The Intelligence Oversight Judge says his role is to ensure that he only approves lawful applications.

The office of the Intelligence Oversight Judge says he has been receiving inquiries about complaints of unlawful communication interception.

He says: “As a matter of fact my work starts and ends in my office and there is no way I can know what members of the law enforcement agencies do out there in the field.”

The Intelligence Oversight Judge says unlawful interception of communication should be addressed to the law enforcement agencies to investigate. Meanwhile, the Rica legislation will be reviewed to take into account the evolution of technology.

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