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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/05/met-police-children-data-project-alpha-youth-violence Youth violence experts have said they had no involvement with a police scheme that collects children’s personal data, despite the Met claiming to have consulted them.

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https://news.sky.com/story/frontline-police-not-taught-what-evidence-they-can-get-from-tech-companies-training-documents-reveal-12587312 Training provided by the College of Policing uses incorrect terminology and is failing to teach frontline officers what information is available from messaging apps.

https://www.thelocal.de/20220111/german-police-under-fire-for-using-covid-tracing-app-to-find-witnesses/ German police drew criticism Tuesday for using an app to trace contacts from bars and restaurants in the fight against the pandemic as part of an investigation I can see why they think "if the data is there and can help in the investigation then why not use it". But equally, people were reassured that if they installed the app their data would only be used for public health reasons, not for police investigations. This might discourage people from using the app in future.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/10/a-data-black-hole-europol-ordered-to-delete-vast-store-of-personal-data EU police body accused of unlawfully holding information and aspiring to become an NSA-style mass surveillance agency

https://www.vice.com/en/article/93b3ay/fbi-backdoor-anom-phones-gps-data Anom, an encrypted phone company marketed to criminals which the FBI secretly took over, surreptitiously recorded every message sent by the phones’ users. But the truly global undercover operation had another secret: the phones also collected users' precise GPS location and transferred that information to authorities, according to multiple documents reviewed by Motherboard. I've long felt that the "encrypted phone" market is just snake oil. The marketing is great and there's lots of promises but they are usually low on detail and transparency about how their systems work. If you can't even look at the source code of a supposedly secure messaging app, how can you really trust that it's protecting you from government surveillance?

https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/uk-police-data-leaked-to-dark-web-russian-hackers-hold-13-million-records-to-ransom/ After an apparent refusal to pay a ransom demand, Russian hackers have leaked a sampling of 13 million records of UK police data to the dark web in retaliation. Should private contractors be allowed to handle sensitive information? Maybe bringing it all in house would be better for security.

https://www.forensicfocus.com/articles/examining-vehicle-data-with-magnet-axiom/ Everything seems to be a "smart" device storing mountains of data these days, even your car. What if I just want a plain boring old car to drive from A to B

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59474365 Mr Moore - known as "C" - told BBC Radio 4's Today programme these traps threatened to erode sovereignty and have prompted defensive measures.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/26/amazon-web-services-aws-contract-data-mi5-mi6-gchq The UK’s spy agencies have given a contract to Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host classified material in a deal aimed at boosting the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence for espionage. Should we be storing our classified intelligence on the systems of a foreign, private corporation?

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Cumbria constabulary has spent £1.8m on state-of-the-art handsets for its 1,130 frontline officers, to replace the traditional policeman's notebook. But top brass have been left red-faced after it emerged that just 11 per cent of the rural county has high-speed mobile internet coverage. That means officers on foot patrol in country communities will have to rely on slower 3G speeds to record crimes - if they can get online at all. Critics reacted in disbelief at the news, which has been branded "mad" at a time of swingeing cuts to police budgets. The handsets have been bought so that officers can fill out routine paperwork for minor crimes, such as anti-social behaviour, whilst out and about without having to return to a police station. However, doubts have been cast on how that will work after official figures published by Ofcom revealed that 89 per cent of Cumbria has no reliable 4G signal. While the other 11% does have high speed internet, provided by EE, nearly a quarter of the county is also said to have no reliable access to even slower 3G speeds. The figures date from June last year and are the latest available from the communications watchdog. Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "There's nothing wrong with embracing new technology, but buying 4G phones for an area in which 4G is more a theory than a reality is mad. "Taxpayers will wonder if this money could not have been better spent by the police force at a time when every single penny is so valuable." This map shows the sporadic 4G coverage in Cumbria Mobile phone coverage maps show that the vast majority of the 4G coverage in Cumbria is centred around the county's main towns of Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, with precious little in between. Despite this the force has teamed up with mobile network EE to provide all frontline officers and some backroom staff with taxpayer-funded Samsung Galaxy Note 4 handsets, which retail for £569 each. A spokesman said the move will save £3.3m over the next three years and will free officers up from endless paperwork, meaning they can spend more time out on the streets. EE was the first UK network to bring 4G to the countryside when it launched the service for 2,000 homes and businesses in Cumbria in autumn 2013. At the beginning of this year it brought a new micro network in the county, where individual households host small mobile antennas to boost the signal in rural areas. Announcing the deal, which has been backed by the local Police and Crime Commissioner and the Home Office Innovation Fund, Chief Superintendent Steve Johnson said: “Cumbria Constabulary polices one of the largest geographical areas in England and Wales, which covers difficult terrain. "As a result, call and data coverage and communication quality are important factors in mobilising the workforce in order to increase the amount of time officers are able to spend in the community, keeping people safe and dealing with crime. "The increased mobilisation of our officers involves the completion of documents outside police stations. "The EE data super-bundle provides value for money for Cumbria Constabulary, as all officers and staff are able to utilise the data with no wastage and no extra monthly costs.” http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/585365/Cumbria-Police-spends-millions-Samsung-Note-smartphones-no-4G-in-countryside This is why in my opinion the proposed replacement of Airwave with 4G ESN starting next year is not currently viable.