Met Police to extract mobile phone data

The Metropolitan Police has implemented a system to extract mobile phone data from suspects held in custody.

The data includes call history, texts and contacts, and the BBC has learned that it will be retained regardless of whether any charges are brought.

BBC News

somebodies taking the Met for a ride aren't they ?

The cost of leasing the 16 terminals for 12 months and training the officers will be £50,000, the Met said.

I can instantly access my data on my phone with a couple of quid usb lead

[murfitUK]

This concerns me but, no doubt, it won't be long before someone comes along to tell me that if I've got nothing to hide then I've nothing to worry about.

If I read the article right the police can capture all the data on your phone (contacts, messages, photos) etc and hold it indefinitely, even if you have done nothing wrong. Now, I'm sure there are some people who will go down the "no smoke without fire" line and if you've been arrested there must be a pretty good reason for it.

What concerns me more is that there is a hand-held device which can be used out on the streets to capture your data without you actually having to be arrested. As long as you are stopped on "suspicion" of something they are allowed to get your data. And if you refuse then you've obviously got something to hide...

I have never committed a crime in my life - not even a parking ticket - so I'm not sure why all these government agencies what to get their hands on all my personal details, find out who I've been talking to and emailing, what websites I've been visiting, where my car has been going etc. If I was paranoid I'd think they were spying on me.

It strikes me that "innocent until proven guilty is getting slowly eroded"

[Derek]

Originally Posted by martyh

somebodies taking the Met for a ride aren't they ?

I can instantly access my data on my phone with a couple of quid usb lead

Yep. There are thousands of different mobiles out there so kit that can slurp the data off pretty much anything it comes across will probably be a bit more expensive. Plus it needs to be cop proof

Originally Posted by murfitUK

If I read the article right the police can capture all the data on your phone (contacts, messages, photos) etc and hold it indefinitely, even if you have done nothing wrong. Now, I'm sure there are some people who will go down the "no smoke without fire" line and if you've been arrested there must be a pretty good reason for it.

What concerns me more is that there is a hand-held device which can be used out on the streets to capture your data without you actually having to be arrested. As long as you are stopped on "suspicion" of something they are allowed to get your data. And if you refuse then you've obviously got something to hide...

It's not clear in the article but if the system was being used in any way different to the current system (seize the phone, decide to examine it, get this OK'd by a Chief Inspector or Superintendant, send it to the lab, wait a few weeks, get the phone and report back, return phone to suspect) I'd be amazed. It won't be automatically used for every phone of every detainee, there has to be some reasonable suspicion the phone has relevant data in it.

[danielf]

Originally Posted by martyh

It strikes me that "innocent until proven guilty is getting slowly eroded"

Why is the word slowly in there at all?

[Cobbydaler]

Originally Posted by danielf

Why is the word slowly in there at all?

Because it's not being done as quickly as the powers that be would like?

Originally Posted by danielf

Why is the word slowly in there at all?

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

Because it's not being done as quickly as the powers that be would like?

I was trying to generous ,but i think Cobby's got it

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Derek

Yep. There are thousands of different mobiles out there so kit that can slurp the data off pretty much anything it comes across will probably be a bit more expensive. Plus it needs to be cop proof

Not to mention the fact it may need to access deleted or protected data and in such a way that they can guarantee the data will not, in any way, be altered, even if it's just to log that the phone has been accessed, because, I suspect, if the case gets to court, the defence would have a good chance of successfully arguing that the evidence contained on the phone is contaminated, and therefore invalid.

[Zee]

Its not about if there is nothing to hide then nothing to worry about, its about personal information, i may not want people having access to my personal text messages, pictures and videos on my phone, or personal files, and the contacts in my phone, they may not want their phone number and other details handed over to the police without permission.

but if this technology was to be taken out onto the streets and used in stop-and-searches, that would be a significant and disturbing expansion of police powers."

thats quite disturbing if that happens, that law could be abused too.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Zee

Its not about if there is nothing to hide then nothing to worry about, its about personal information

Mobile phones are routinely seized, interrogated and their data examined by every Police force in the UK already. To be honest this story is no more newsworthy than when they changed from ink and card to a digital livescan system.

Originally Posted by Zee

but if this technology was to be taken out onto the streets and used in stop-and-searches, that would be a significant and disturbing expansion of police powers."

If the Police decided to take the data off every phone of every person then yes that would be an issue. They don't. I don't think they ever will and it would take a change in the law to make that in any way legal so I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it.