Part 3: Authorisations for obtaining communications data Section 82: Offence of making unauthorised disclosure
This section creates a criminal offence, with a maximum prison sentence of two years, if a communications services provider discloses the existence of an authorisation for the obtaining of communications data to the subject of the authorisation. It is a reasonable excuse if such a requirement is disclosed with the permission of the public authority who requested the data.
	The purpose of these provisions is to prevent the so called ‘tipping-off’ of criminal suspects or subjects of interest that their data has been sought, thus informing them that they are under suspicion.