Met Police accused of using intrusive AI to ‘spy’ on officers
A staff association representing 30,000 police officers in London has criticised the Metropolitan Police for the intrusive use of Palantir AI to ‘spy’ on cops in the capital.
This follows after the Met announced it was investigating hundreds of officers for misconduct and other infractions based on data processed via a new Palantir AI tool it has implemented.
The Metropolitan Police Federation has warned police officers not to carry Met-issued devices when off duty and said it is considering legal action against the police force over the rights of officers to have a private life.
The staff association said it was unaware the Met would be using Palantir’s AI to analyse the movements of cops in London, and it warned that this automated suspicion would cause significant damage to morale.
“No one wants bad police officers in policing,” said Metropolitan Police Federation general secretary Matt Cane.
“But this use of AI to spy on our officers is not proportionate, just or proper. It’s an outrageous and unforgivable invasion of privacy.”
“This continuous 24/7 geo-location tracking is highly intrusive and risks monitoring officers when they are off duty, on rest days, or at home. This presumption of wrongdoing and attack on officer’s personal lives is unacceptable,” Cane said.
He added that many officers are still unaware of the full extent of this monitoring and raised concerns over how this data might be misused to question overtime or sickness claims.
“Overall, the draconian approach raises significant legal and privacy concerns regarding proportionality, GDPR compliance, and the right to private life under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act.”
“The Federation is taking urgent legal advice on these matters and will issue further guidance to members in due course if required.”
Met claims lawful use of data
When it announced the creation of a new pilot technology in partnership with Palantir last week, the Met stated that the tool allowed it to process data it already lawfully holds.
The introduction of this tool followed after the broadcast of a BBC Panorama documentary titled Undercover in the Police, which exposed misconduct among several officers and resulted in the Met revisiting its commitment professional standards.
Announcing the Palantir-based tool, the Met said it could highlight patterns such as misconduct, minimal workplace attendance, and compliance with force policies.
It said the tool had already allowed it to identify several potential breaches of professional standards, from criminality to abuse of duty rostering systems and hybrid working policies.
The Met announced that this data processing would continue and those who breach the standards of the organisation would be removed where necessary to restore public confidence in the force.
“This is the Met using technology, data and stronger legal powers to confront poor behaviour, raise standards and fix our foundations as our communities would expect,” said Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley when announcing the pilot.
“The vast majority of our officers and staff serve London with dedication and integrity and rightly expect us to act firmly against those who abuse their position or undermine public trust, particularly in leadership roles.”
“By bringing together the information we already lawfully hold, we can identify risk earlier, act faster and be fairer and more consistent. Alongside new vetting powers, this gives us the tools we need to remove those who should not be in policing and strengthen culture for the future,” he said.
