Criminal finance database security worries peers
A database monitoring 1.5 million suspicious criminal transactions may be insecure, a committee of peers has warned.
The House of Lords’ EU committee backed the view of the information commissioner that access to the Serious Organised Crime Agency’s Elmer database may be too wide.
The database is Soca’s main tool in identifying suspicious activity which may involve funds gained from criminal activity.
It contains detailed personal records of transactions for which there is only a relatively low level of suspicion, prompting the concern from peers.
“It is important that the government considers whether the current arrangements are still effective and can still be justified,” the sub-committee on home affairs’ chair Lord Hannay said.
The Home Office said before the report’s publication it was unlikely to offer an immediate response.
A review from the information commissioner began in 2009 was completed last year, after peers previously expressed concern about the number of organisations with access to the Elmer database.
A record retention and deletion policy may be appropriate, the committee suggested, to bring it into line with data protection principles.
