The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act 2024 amending the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA) received royal assent on 25 April 2024 and it will take effect in accordance with the Secretary of State’s future statutory instrument.

Some of the main changes include:

• Establishing new legal gateways for accessing and sharing of communications data and Internet connection records.
• Introducing a separate regime for the use of publicly or commercially available bulk personal datasets.
• Imposing a duty on operators of telecommunications services to report proposed technical system changes which could affect lawful access by authorities and a duty to maintain the status quo while any objections by the operator are being investigated.
• Bringing more authorities under the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s (IPC’s) regulatory oversight.