SCOTTISH police are now pressing ahead with a rollout of new technology which can override mobile phone passwords and access every piece of information, including files held on a cloud.
Last week the Sunday Herald revealed there were short trials of so-called 'cyber kiosks' and hundreds of phones were accessed at two police stations. Now more than 40 devices worth almost £400,000 will be distributed to officers throughout Scotland, meaning data can be extracted from thousands more mobile phones.
Essentially, if police seize your phone or you hand it over voluntarily, officers can, in theory, see everything held on it. This has prompted highly-respected former police officer John Finnie, now an MSP known for his principled approach to politics, to demand talks with the Scottish Police Authority, the body which rubber stamped the purchase of these kiosks.
Finnie has rightly raised concerns about the potential for mass collection of personal and very private data by police.
Although Police Scotland insists they can extract information within set parameters such as a timeframe, and only relevant information will be accessed, Finnie’s fears about the possibility of contravention of data protection laws are not unfounded.
As the former police officer points out, Police Scotland has not always had a strong track record when it comes to dodging controversy.
Finnie and Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, who has also raised concerns about the use of cyber kiosks, are right to scrutinise this rollout. Police Scotland must provide answers to politicians and commit to full transparency if the principle of policing by consent is to be protected.
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