Police Admit Seized Mobile Phones Are Being Remotely Wiped

Some smartphones and tablets seized as evidence by police are being remotely wiped, according to a report by the BBC.

Police in Cambridgeshire, Cleveland, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Durham all told the corporation that such incidents had happened in their jurisdiction, while police in Dorset said it had happened six times during one year.

Police remote wiping

Their colleagues in Derbyshire said a device seized as part of a case involving romantic fraud had been wiped, but added it had not impacted the investigation as they went on to secure a conviction. Cleveland police said a similar incident had happened on their watch, but they were unsure whether it had an effect on their investigations as they had no idea what was stored on the device.

Many smartphones come equipped with a remote wipe feature so that personal information can be protected in the event of theft or loss, and it is a standard feature of many Mobile Device Management (MDM) platforms.

Such actions can be carried out so long as a mobile device is connected to a cellular connection, so it has been suggested that police store smartphones and tablets in such a way that they cannot receive a signal.

The Mayor of London has been a vocal advocate of a industry-standard ‘killswitch’ that would immediately deactivate a device if it is lost or stolen in a bid to deter thieves from snatching smartphones. A number of manufacturers have committed to implemented such a feature, but others fear it would leave users vulnerable to hackers with malicious intent.

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Steve McCaskill

Steve McCaskill is editor of TechWeekEurope and ChannelBiz. He joined as a reporter in 2011 and covers all areas of IT, with a particular interest in telecommunications, mobile and networking, along with sports technology.

View Comments

  • Well then maybe they should remove the SIM card before switching on the phone to search it for evidence.

  • This is stupid. ACPO guidelines recommend use of a Faraday bag/tent.

    If the device is turned off and placed in the bag at seizure, there is zero scope for the device to wipe itself from a remote command.

    Similar protections are available with examination.

    Certainly,

  • We might have smartphones but smart cop?

    :)

    Although using a Faraday cage/tent or removing the SIM card might not work in the future. Any sensible criminal would have an auto erase after a period of non use without a password being entered.

    On the other hand - Can't data from 'erased' SD cards be forensically recovered? Or is the erase technology of the devices a total loss of data?

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