Data Acquired:
Subscriber information relating to an IP address.
Description:
A police force was conducting an investigation into the sexual
exploitation of children. Information relating to a suspect’s use
of social media was transferred from one system into another.
During this process, a transposition error changed one digit
within an IP address. The public authority subsequently made
an application for subscriber information based on the wrong
IP. Based on this result, police visited the subscriber’s postal
address. Two men connected to this household were arrested
and their devices seized for forensic examination. Following
vehement denials, and the police having failed to find anything
suspicious, both were released on bail. Following their release,
the activity under investigation continued. A further subscriber
check, this time of the correct IP address, gave a different result.
Consequence:
The police searched an address unconnected with their
investigation, arrested and interviewed two innocent persons,
and carried out forensic searches of their electronic devices.
Error Investigation 13
Error by:
Public Authority
Human or
Technical:
Human
Cause:
Incorrect day and month typed into an IP resolution request.
Data Acquired:
Subscriber information relating to an IP address.
www.iocco-uk.info
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