Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014

Overview
The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 (also known as DRIP or DRIPA) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that received Royal Assent on 17 July 2014. The purpose of the legislation is to allow security services to continue to have access to phone and internet records of individuals following a previous repeal of these rights by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The act was criticised by some Members of Parliament for the speed at which the act was passed through parliament, by some groups (such as the Open Rights Group and Liberty) as being an infringement of privacy and by legal scholars who say it does not strike an appropriate balance among security, privacy and freedom of enterprise.

Following legal action, in July 2015, the High Court issued an order that sections 1 and 2 of the Act were unlawful, and to be disapplied, suspended until 31 March 2016, thereby giving the government a deadline to come up with alternative legislation which is compatible with EU law.