I could be wrong, but I don't think the UK has a network of privately owned ANPRs that can create ~complete pictures of people's comings and goings, and that data has effectively zero legal protections whatsoever.
Automated speed cameras are fairly common in the US but are obviously not a surveillance network.
Not a surveillance network you know of. Knowing what we know now, why wouldn’t it be tapped, if they could get away with it?