Snowden leaks raised real issues about privacy: UK's ISC head

Head of the UK's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), Sir Malcolm Rifkind has reportedly said that the leaks of classified data by whistleblower Edward Snowden about the alleged US snoop-ops has raised real issues about safeguarding privacy of citizens.

Rifkind defended that the UK had an effective and extensive system of independent oversight of its three intelligence services - GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 and claimed that the agencies have neither the time nor the interest to snoop on over 99 percent people's private conversations.

According to the Guardian, Rifkind admitted that there are real issues that do arise out of the Snowden affair in Britain, as elsewhere.

There has been intense debate over the revelations made by Snowden, as to what constitutes an individual's privacy and what is the limit to national security.

Rifkind said that it was absolute rubbish to suggest that the UK intelligence services could spy on people without regard to their privacy.

However, he said that even if the intelligence agencies always act within the law it must be right for that law to be reviewed from time to time to see whether the safeguards are adequate, the report added.