Whenever you hear about a violation of privacy by the US government, you can guarantee that GCHQ laughs at how much easier it is for them. We have no constitution to tie their hands, and the Human Rights Act is a hopelessly weak substitute. The public doesn't complain, because the government and media have managed to convince them that human rights are something only used by terrorists and paedophiles. There's no separation of legislative and executive branches either, and the Human Rights Act has no special status and can be repealed like any other act of Parliament. The one saving grace is that our Supreme Court is not political, so doesn't rule on partisan lines.