In what is another erosion of freedom for the people of the UK, the police now have the ability to access the information on your cell phones while out in the field with mobile device data extraction system called the Radio Tactics’ ACESO data extraction system. The system is being rolled out across London’s 16 boroughs and is expected to substantially reduce the costs associated with traditional, outsourced methods of processing evidence, which can lead to months of delays, particularly for low level criminal cases.

“Mobile phones and other devices are increasingly being used in all levels of criminal activity,” said Stephen Kavanagh, deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. “When a suspect is arrested and found with a mobile phone that we suspect may have been used in crime, traditionally we submit it to our digital forensic laboratory for analysis.”

The system will be used by “trained officers to examine devices and gives immediate access to the data in that handset.” The data extraction system will be available to around 300 Met officers. It is not clear at this stage as to what will happen to the extracted data off a suspect’s phone if he or she is not charged with an offense after being arrested.

Let us all hope tha this does not end up coming to the United States. I don’t think it will because we have much higher freedom of speech laws, and much more stringent laws in the due process system that we give police officers.

photo courtesy of ACESO