GCHQ monitored own staff excessively

Eavesdropping agency collected bulk personal data without authorisation 'due to technical error' finds intelligence services watchdog

GCHQ, the government's electronic eavesdropping agency, has been found to be spying too much on its own staff, an official watchdog has said.

Sir Mark Waller, the intelligence services commissioner, reveals in his annual report that GCHQ reported one error to him last year when it was found that an internal monitoring system, which keeps an eye on staff communications, was capturing an unauthorised amount of information.