The Oslo police saved mobile data illegally for one year
The mobile data of random phone users were illegally stored for one year without permission. The Norwegian police set up fake base stations in Oslo to practice monitoring.
The police in Oslo has stored mobile data from random mobile users after exercises or training using fake base stations, writes Aftenposten. They refer to documents that the newspaper has access to.
By enhancing the signal strength, nearby mobile phones are lured into connecting to a fake base station. The data has then been illegally stored. According to the Penal Code, such monitoring may only take place when the police have a valid reason to suspect serious crimes.
Deemed as an invasion of privacy
The storage has been illegal, according to the Norwegian Control Committee for Communication Control (the KK Committee), which on behalf of the Government are tasked with verifying that the police follows Norwegian law.
«The intervention is considered so marginal to the individual citizen that it is neither sensitive nor entails any risk of abuse», the Oslo police writes in a reply.
“The police are of the opinion that this is not to be regarded as communication control, writes Deputy Chief of Police in the Oslo Police District, Bjørn Vandvik,” in an email to Aftenposten.
The KK committee, on the other hand, believes that the data storage constitutes «a not insignificant intervention in personal integrity». The committee finds reasons to criticise the police for storing information regarding third-party persons without legal authority in its conclusion.
Neither the Oslo police nor the KK committee wishes to say anything about how many persons have their lawful right to privacy invaded.
© #Norway Today
