IPCO Annual Report 2018

Error Investigation 16
Telecommunications Operator (TO)
Human or Technical:

Technical

Classification

Shortfall Data

Data Acquired:

File sharing activity

Description:

A file sharing company based outside the UK reported a ‘bug’ in certain
files that had impacted 57 sets of data provided to UK law enforcement
agencies in response to applications for communication data. Urgent
checks identified the software had returned a short fall of data for the
period requested, but the data that had been returned was accurate.

Consequence:

Urgent checks were carried out revealing under-disclosure rather than
inaccurate disclosure.

Error Investigation 17
Telecommunications Operator (TO)
Human or Technical:

Technical

Classification:

Incorrect Data

Data Acquired:

Call records

Description:

Incorrect system coding led to call data records provided to a police
force in response to an authorisation to obtain communication data
being out by one hour in the supplied PDF document. A second file
provided in Excel format however was accurate, and as this is the
preferred file format for use by intelligence analysts, the error had no
negative impact.

Consequence:

No impact as second file supplied (Excel) was accurate and is the
preferred file used for analysis.

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