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IPCO Annual Report 2018
Error Investigation 10
Police Force
Human or Technical:
Human (Applicant)
Classification:
Transposition (Application)
Data Acquired:
Subscriber information relating to a mobile telephone number
Description:
Police officers trying to identify the vulnerable victim of a sexual
grooming offence applied to acquire the subscriber details from
a telephone number found during examination of the offender’s
telephone. When completing the application the officer made an error
when entering the telephone number. The application was approved
and a name and address for another number was obtained. The police
made contact with this unconnected subscriber via a telephone call.
Consequence:
The Police made contact with a person unconnected to their search.
Error Investigation 11
Police Force
Human or Technical:
Human (Special Point of Contact, SPoC)
Classification:
Incorrect Time Conversion
Data Acquired:
Subscriber information relating to an Internet Protocol Address
Resolution
Description:
Police officers investigating the upload and sharing of indecent images
of children applied for communication data to identify the address
from which the offender had accessed the internet. At the point of
application and approval the details of the information sought were
accurate. However, when the request was submitted to the internet
service provider, an incorrect time zone was entered and consequently
the information returned by the service provider was out by one hour.
Internet Protocol address used to access internet services are not fixed,
and during that hour this identifier had passed on to another customer.
As a result of the error an innocent person was subsequently arrested.
Consequence:
The IPC decided that this error amounted to serious error (within the
meaning of section 231 IPA). Accordingly, IPCO notified the affected
person of the fact of the serious error and of that person’s right to
apply to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.