Metropolitan Police told to tighten safeguards after 179 records were uploaded to Auror

Data shared without required checks

Retailers, including supermarkets, encouraged officers to use Auror to access CCTV footage. The platform lets retailers share incident reports, images and video; retailers pay for access, while police partners use it free.

The ICO found that officers uploaded personal data about 179 people between August and September 2024. The data covered names alone for 128 people, names and birth dates for 49, and names, birth dates and home addresses for two. Three of those affected were children.

Two internal security reports about officers’ use of Auror were filed during that period. The regulator said the platform lacked force approval and the required data protection checks.

Regulator orders stronger controls

The enforcement notice requires the force to strengthen safeguards against improper use of third-party tools and provide the ICO with regular progress updates. The action follows a separate ICO rebuke in August involving two sensitive cases. The regulator said it would act when organisations failed to protect people’s information, and that its role included driving improvements and promoting expected standards.

Met describes Auror’s benefits

A Met spokesperson said Auror followed formal approval and a pilot and is now used in 14 London boroughs. The spokesperson said it lets retailers share evidence and CCTV directly when reporting incidents, helping officers identify shoplifters more quickly.

The Met said the platform had quadrupled positive outcomes for shoplifting. It also reported that 29.4 percent of shoplifting cases reported through Auror resulted in a positive outcome.