Investigatory Powers Act 2016

31 Requirements that must be met by warrants

(1) A warrant under this Chapter must contain a provision stating whether it is a targeted interception warrant, a targeted examination warrant or a mutual assistance warrant.

(2) A warrant issued under this Chapter must be addressed to the person by whom, or on whose behalf, the application for the warrant was made.

(3) A warrant that relates to a particular person or organisation, or to a single set of premises, must name or describe that person or organisation or those premises.

(4) A warrant that relates to a group of persons who share a common purpose or who carry on (or may carry on) a particular activity must—

(a) describe that purpose or activity, and

(b) name or describe as many of those persons as it is reasonably practicable to name or describe.

(5) A warrant that relates to more than one person or organisation, or more than one set of premises, where the conduct authorised or required by the warrant is for the purposes of a single investigation or operation, must—

(a) describe the investigation or operation, and

(b) name or describe as many of those persons or organisations, or as many of those sets of premises, as it is reasonably practicable to name or describe.

(6) A warrant that relates to any testing or training activities must—

(a) describe those activities, and

(b) name or describe as many of the persons within subsection (7) as it is reasonably practicable to name or describe.

“Testing or training activities” has the meaning given by section 17(3).

(7) A person is within this subsection if—

(a) in the case of a targeted interception warrant—

(i) communications from, or intended for, the person will or may be intercepted by an interception authorised or required by the warrant, or

(ii) secondary data will or may be obtained under the warrant from communications from, or intended for, the person;

(b) in the case of a targeted examination warrant, the content of communications from, or intended for, the person may be selected for examination under the warrant.

(8) Where—

(a) a targeted interception warrant or mutual assistance warrant authorises or requires the interception of communications described in the warrant, or the obtaining of secondary data from such communications, or

(b) a targeted examination warrant authorises the selection of the content of communications for examination,

the warrant must specify the addresses, numbers, apparatus, or other factors, or combination of factors, that are to be used for identifying the communications.

(9) Any factor, or combination of factors, specified in accordance with subsection (8) must be one that identifies communications which are likely to be or to include—

(a) communications from, or intended for, any person or organisation named or described in the warrant, or

(b) communications originating on, or intended for transmission to, any premises named or described in the warrant.

(10) In this section any reference to communications from, or intended for, a person or organisation includes communications from, or intended for, anything owned, controlled or operated by that person or organisation.