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Privacy International intervened in a landmark case brought in the UK courts by asylum seekers against mobile phone seizures and data extraction. Judgment was handed down on 25 March 2022. The High Court found that the secret and blanket policy of the UK Home Office to seize and search migrants' phones breached Article 8 ECHR and data protection laws.

UK local authorities (Councils) are looking at people’s social media accounts, such as Facebook, as part of their intelligence gathering and investigation tactics in areas such as council tax payments, children’s services, benefits and monitoring protests and demonstrations.

In some cases, local authorities will go so far as to use such information to make accusations of fraud and withhold urgently needed support from families who are living in extreme poverty.

The use of data and new technologies are driving a revolution in immigration enforcement, and affected people are going to be at greater risk.

There is a growing push towards identity systems around the world - leading to some of the world's largest biometric databases, as well as other technologies that can be used to track and profile individuals and communities.

From facial recognition to social media monitoring, from remote hacking to the use of mobile surveillance equipment called 'IMSI catchers', UK police forces are using an ever-expanding array of surveillance tools to spy on us as we go about our everyday lives.

PI together with ARTICLE 19 intervened at the European Court of Human Rights to submit that digital device seizures and extraction performed at the border interfere with the rights to privacy and freedom of expression, in particular when performed on journalists.

This legal challenge relates to a complaint filed with the UK's Information Commissioner (ICO) against the UK Home Office's policy and practice of using GPS ankle tags to monitor migrants released on immigration bail.

Privacy International filed a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) against the Home Office’s policy and practice of collecting and processing data through two algorithms used in immigration enforcement operations.