Metropolitan Police's unchecked use of shoplifting platform lands force in trouble with data watchdog
Officers unlawfully uploaded 179 people's details to Auror without required privacy checks or corporate approval
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has reprimanded London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) for the unchecked use of a retail crime platform, Auror, without proper data protection checks. Between March 2023 and September 2024, MPS officers registered around 500 free accounts on Auror, a platform used by retailers to record crimes like shoplifting.
The force had not formally procured the service or completed the required data protection checks. The ICO found that officers unlawfully uploaded personal data relating to 179 people, including three children, to Auror, failing to ensure adequate oversight and test web controls. The enforcement action requires the MPS to strengthen its safeguards against improper use of third-party tools and provide the ICO with periodic progress updates.
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