A security tribunal in the U.K. has ruled that the British spy agency GCHQ is in the clear when it comes to spying and hacking into people’s computers and smart phones. Human rights “watchdog” organization, Privacy International, has lost a court case questioning the legality of government snooping. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the U.K. is “satisfied” GCHQ is operating within the law when it comes to state-sponsored “equipment interference.” The BBC reports: Campaigners Privacy International have lost a legal challenge claiming the spying post’s hacking operations are too intrusive and break European law. The case was launched after revelations by US whistleblower Edward Snowden about the extent of US and UK spying. GCHQ admitted its agents hack devices, in the UK and abroad, for the first time during the hearings. Its previous policy had been to “neither confirm nor deny” the existence of such operations. Listening devices Hackers can remotely activate cameras and microphones on devices, without the owner’s knowledge, log keystrokes, install malware, copy documents and track locations among other things, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) was told. The Home Office has now published a code of practice for hacking, or “equipment interference” as it is also known, and aims to put [...]