A new study on legal safeguards against bulk surveillance regimes urges for more judicial oversight in protecting civil rights. The study by technology thinktank Stiftung Neue Verantwortung argues that the recent European Court of Human Rights decisions on Swedish and British surveillance regimes suggest bulk data interception is likely to continue, meaning checks and balances must improve. Bulk surveillance methods, the report’s says, can be “difficult to reconcile with the fundamental principles of democratic governance, such as rule of law, transparency, and accountability”.