Policing and Technology | Privacy International

You’re a witness or a victim or a suspect of a crime; or even just travelling going on holiday. Officials demand your phone, then disappear with it. What happened to your phone? What happened to your data? What will happen to you?

We all generate vast amounts of data using our mobile phones -

Report and Analysis

Long Read

European and African continents with spider webs

“When Spiders Share Webs”: Unveiling privacy threats of EU-funded INTERPOL policing programme in West Africa

Our exploration into the role of the EU-funded INTERPOL programme, the West African Police Information System, in externalising EU borders.

Report

PI Briefing, When Spiders Share Webs, Cover Page Screenshot

When Spiders Share Webs: The creeping expansion of INTERPOL’s interoperable policing and biometrics entrench externalised EU borders in West Africa

Our briefing “When Spiders Share Webs” explores the role the EU-funded INTERPOL programme, the West African Police Information System (WAPIS), in externalising EU borders by transferring data-driven policing capabilities to West African nations.

Long Read

Your NEW guide to surveillance human rights standards is here

A glimpse into what you can find in the new version of PI’s Guide to International Law and Surveillance. From surveillance of public spaces to spyware and encryption, it’s got everything!

Report

illustration of 2 people alone in a field

Securing Privacy: PI on End-to-End Encryption

PI’s report on end-to-end encryption (E2EE) analyses and defends expanding the use of E2EE to protect our communications.

Long Read

Fact sheet on your data rights in relation to police surveillance at protests

An overview of your data rights in relation to data processed by the police at protests (UK edition).

Long Read

police officer through camera lens graphic

Fact sheet on photographing police officers at a protest

An overview of relevant considerations if and when photographing or filming police at a protest (UK edition).

News

28th November 2024

UK government announces tender for live facial recognition technology

7th February 2023

Use of mobile phone extraction tools by law enforcement in Argentina

30th January 2023

Press: Landmark ruling exposes years of rule breaking by MI5

6th December 2021

The ICO’s announcement about Clearview AI is a lot more than just a £17 million fine

27th July 2021

Taming Pegasus: A Way Forward on Surveillance Tech Proliferation

6th July 2021

The Policing Bill: Immigration Officers to get phone data extraction powers

29th June 2021

Policing Bill: An unsatisfactory debut on the statute books for mobile phone extraction

25th May 2021

Privacy International and others file legal complaints across Europe against controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI

Examples of Abuse

Want to know how this translate in the real world? Here is the latest example in the news.

New York Police Department expands surveillance post-9/11

The 20 years since the 9/11 attacks have fundamentally changed the way the New York Police Department operates, leading it to use facial recognition software, licence plate readers, and mobile X-ray vans, among other surveillance tools for both detecting and blocking potential terrorist attacks and

See more examples of abuse

Our Advocacy

PI write to UK MPs following a debate in parliament on police use of facial recognition technology

Following a debate in the UK parliament on police use of facial recognition technology we wrote to the MPs who intervened calling on them to expedite this matter further by tabling questions to members of the government.