The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIP or RIPA) is a United Kingdom law regulating the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillance and investigation for the purpose of detecting crime, and covering the interception of communications. It was introduced to regulate and restrict the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillance and investigation to detect fraud and crime in the course of their work so that their work is compliant with the Human Rights Act 1998, and to take account of technological change such as the growth of the Internet and strong encryption. The long title of the Act is: