A shocking new video out of the UK, which you can watch below, shows that police on the island nation are able to LEGALLY download your phone data without a warrant in a matter of minutes.1 Watch below as police are able to extract location data, deleted pictures, and encrypted messages- with no limit on the volume they can obtain. It could even happen even if NO CHARGES are ever brought against a person.
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I might love the British Isles but I’m awfully glad I don’t live there right now.
“London-based charity Privacy International has highlighted how police access people’s passwords, internet searches and emails without prior permission.
The technology, which was shown on BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show, is currently used by at least 26 police forces in England and Wales.
Using this machine, officers are able to access deleted data, including messages sent to the phone by other people.
The decision to download this information is decided on a case-by-case basis, according to the National Police Chiefs Council.”2
However, at issue is the fact that the public was never made aware of this. The tech is also being used on a trial basis in Scotland, but not in Northern Ireland. (And in Derbyshire and Wiltshire, the police are legally allowed to download a phone’s contents without the suspect even knowing.)
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The former Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said, “In lots of cases, officers need to be able to access what is on a mobile phone very very quickly and to be able to know whether they can arrest the offender to protect the public and to stop other crimes in action.”3
Reacting to this new story, a Home Office spokesperson told the BBC,
“Current legislation allows data to be accessed when there are reasonable grounds to believe it contains evidence in relation to an offence and only then in adherence with data protection and human rights obligations. The government is clear that the use of all police powers must be necessary, proportionate and lawful.”4
Sure, and governments are known for respecting the privacy of their public. Can you imagine if someone tried to pass a law like this in the United States? What do you think? Is this a good idea? Don’t you think this is a power that could easily be manipulated?
