Today, the UK’s Investigatory Powers Bill received royal assent, meaning it will become law.

The Web Foundation’s CEO, Anne Jellema, reacted to the announcement:

“Amber Rudd, the UK Home Secretary, described the Investigatory Powers Bill as ‘world leading’. She is right – only in that it sets out one of the worst examples in the democratic world of government trampling on human rights online, legalising the sweeping abuses under PRISM revealed by Edward Snowden.

“Knowing everything you do online can be spied on by a long list of government agencies will inevitably take away some of our precious freedom to use the web as a space for exploration and dissent. Worse, this vast store of data could easily be hacked and misused.”

• Anne Jellema, CEO, Web Foundation

More than 130,000 concerned citizens have signed a petition calling for Parliament to reopen debate, and the Government has responded defending its position. Next year, a ruling by the European Court of Justice could strike down parts of bill.