Watchdog finds ASIO acts illegal

SPY agency ASIO conducted three unauthorised phone taps and conducted an illegal property raid after bungling a search warrant, the annual report on intelligence services has found.ASIO has also been forced to pay compensation to a property owner after a computer seized in a raid was returned damaged.

The annual report of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Ian Carnell, has also identified repeated breaches of protocol in the agency's investigations.

The watchdog for federal spy agencies said it had found three instances of unauthorised phone interception, including one in which the telecommunications provider tapped the wrong phone.

In another instance, the interception continued for several days beyond the expiry of a warrant, although the information collected was not processed.

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