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UK police secretly downloading content from suspects’ phones (2018)

privacyinternational.org

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Re: UK police secretly downloading content from suspects’ phones (2018)

#11
post #4

It’s likely referring to routine data collection during police encounters. Michigan started doing something similar awhile ago. Forensic devices were installed in patrol cars and officers could download phone contents during a traffic stop. I’m sure these devices are a lot more advanced now. https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/michigan-police-cellphone-...

> "The lack of transparency around new policing tools such as mobile phone extraction is a serious cause for concern. There are no records, no statistics, no safeguards, no oversight and no clear statement of the rights that citizens have".

There may be places where this is routine, but it really shouldn't be - anywhere.

If you'd like to educate yourself on some of the transgressions of UK police in the past, and the extent to which subsequent cover ups have gone, I'd suggest reading some recent Irish history.

Re: UK police secretly downloading content from suspects’ phones (2018)

#15
TL;DR:

Most police forces in the UK are using digital forensic "self service kiosks", which allow ordinary officers to create images of the storage of mobile devices seized during criminal investigations. Privacy International are concerned that policies and procedures surrounding the use of this technology may be inadequate. In particular, they are concerned that the Police and Criminal Evidence Act gives the police relatively broad powers to image devices without a warrant. The report does not identify any specific evidence that these powers are being abused.

Re: UK police secretly downloading content from suspects’ phones (2018)

#16
post #8
post #2

How exactly are they doing this?

Using zero days which are quite valuable when sold to a company which specialises in this.

I hope this is it and not hidden backdoors for the law enforcement agencies.

Re: UK police secretly downloading content from suspects’ phones (2018)

#18

TL;DR: Most police forces in the UK are using digital forensic "self service kiosks", which allow ordinary officers to create images of the storage of mobile devices seized during criminal investigations. Privacy International are concerned that policies and procedures surrounding the use of this technology may be inadequate. In particular, they are concerned that the Police and Criminal Evidence Act gives the police…

"Snoopers' Charter" pretty much gave police and other civil law enforcement agencies broad spy agency-level powers.

This game was over the moment that law passed.

Re: UK police secretly downloading content from suspects’ phones (2018)

#19
When back in the early 00's the UK wanted to introduce a picture ID card, there were huge protests across the country that resulted in the scheme being shelved indefinitely. It took the UK years to even introduce a picture driving license (you might have seen the "counterpart" old driving licenses which were in use until very recently. They were a single A4 sheet with no picture on it).

How ironic that despite the continued protests against picture ID cards based on privacy concerns, the UK is the most watched country based on the number of CCTV cameras per square mile, and now this.

Re: UK police secretly downloading content from suspects’ phones (2018)

#20
post #11
post #4

It’s likely referring to routine data collection during police encounters. Michigan started doing something similar awhile ago. Forensic devices were installed in patrol cars and officers could download phone contents during a traffic stop. I’m sure these devices are a lot more advanced now. https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/michigan-police-cellphone-...

> "The lack of transparency around new policing tools such as mobile phone extraction is a serious cause for concern. There are no records, no statistics, no safeguards, no oversight and no clear statement of the rights that citizens have". There may be places where this is routine, but it really shouldn't be - anywhere. If you'd like to educate yourself on some of the transgressions of UK police in the past, and the…

Or this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_undercover_policing_relatio...
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