How police can download private contents of your phone in minutes
The UK police can download your phone data without a warrant in a matter of minutes, a shocking video has revealed.
The footage shows how officers can use a machine to extract all kinds of information, including location data, deleted pictures and encrypted messages.
Opposition groups have argued that the police should not be able to access this data, which can currently used on suspects, victims and witnesses.
They warn there is ‘no limit on the volume of data’ police can obtain, and it could happen even if charges are never bought.
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. However, there was never a public announcement about these police powers.
Out of 47 police forces contacted by Privacy International, only eight said they had implemented guidelines on use of the technology.
There is ‘no limit on the volume of data’ police can obtain, Millie Graham-Wood, a solicitor at Privacy International said on the Victoria Derbyshire show.
The UK police can download your phone data without a warrant in a matter of minutes, a shocking video has revealed. The footage shows how officers can use a machine (pictured) to extract all kinds of information, including location data, deleted pictures and messages.
The UK police have a machine that can download your phone data without a warrant in a matter of minutes.
Officers can use a machine to extract all kinds of information, including location data, deleted pictures and encrypted messages.
Opposition groups warn there is ‘no limit on the volume of data’ police can obtain, and it could happen even if charges are never bought.
Using this machine, officers are able to access deleted data, including messages sent to the phone by other people.