Scotland is set to lift a ban on large gatherings, meaning that protests and public events will once again be allowed. The decision was made following talks between the Scottish government and the British Civil Liberties Union (BCLU). The move is seen as a victory for advocates of free speech, who had called for the ban to be lifted in order to allow protests against the extension of the UK's Investigatory Powers Act. The Act allows the government to collect metadata and communications data without prior judicial approval.