British Government Sued Over Collaboration With NSA Spying

Privacy International says the U.K. and the U.S. spy on each other's citizens and swap the data

A London-based advocacy group filed suit over America's international data dragnet Monday, a complaint which one expert says could have significant ramifications for the future of U.S.-British intelligence-sharing.

In a complaint filed with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, Britain's interception watchdog, Privacy International alleges that the National Security Agency and its British counterpart GCHQ are spying on one another's citizens and swapping the intercepted information without proper oversight. The complaint also accuses GCHQ of overstepping British law through the mass monitoring of U.K communications.

"It is a fundamental breach of the social contract if the government can operate with unrestrained power in such an arbitrary fashion," Privacy's Eric King said in a statement.