Report of the Interception of Communications Commissioner - 2016
Error Investigation 7
Error by:
Communications Service Provider (CSP).
Human or
Technical:
Human
Cause:
Transposition error made by the CSP disclosure officer when
entering a timeframe into a manual system.
Data Acquired:
Contact telephone number linked to a WiFi account.
Description:
A public authority was investigating a serious crime. To identify
the offender or potential witnesses, they made a WiFi access
application for users connected to a specific WiFi hub. When
the CSP received the request, their system required them to
manually type in the request. During this transposition, an error
was made in the date/time stamp. The incorrect result led the
police to a telephone whose owner was based locally. He was
visited by police officers. Because he had an alibi, the police
questioned their information and worked out that an error had
been made.
Consequence:
The police contacted an individual unconnected with their
investigation.
Error Investigation 8
Error by:
Public Authority
Human or
Technical:
Human
Cause:
Failure to convert a US date format (mm.dd.yyyy).
Data Acquired:
Subscriber information relating to an IP address.
Description:
A police force sought to resolve a series of IP addresses associated
with child sexual exploitation. These results were listed in the US date
format. The applicant correctly converted all but two back into the UK
format. As a result, subscriber checks on these two were incorrect.
Based on the incorrect check, the police obtained and executed a
search warrant. During the search, the officers suspected there had
been an error and confirmed this by referring to the original data.
Consequence:
The police conducted a search of an address unconnected
with their investigation.
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@iocco_oversight