Sensitive UK police data vulnerable to ‘compromise’ by US government and foreign actors
Summary
Many UK police forces store highly sensitive data on Microsoft’s cloud service, Azure, which a UK security review said could be accessed by the US government or foreign actors. Despite concerns about data security and privacy since 2017, the use of Microsoft cloud services continues, with unclear protections against unauthorized access.Key Facts
- Over 40 UK police forces hold sensitive data on Microsoft Azure cloud platforms.
- This data includes criminal records, victim statements, internal emails, and some files labeled secret or top secret.
- A 2017 UK police security assessment warned that US government insiders could potentially access the data.
- The “cloud first” policy pushed UK government departments to move data to public clouds like Microsoft Azure.
- Microsoft admits data can be transferred outside the UK and cannot guarantee it stays within the country.
- Microsoft denies direct, unrestricted access to customer data by any government and follows legal procedures for any data requests.
- The UK government spends at least £1.9 billion annually on Microsoft software.
- Some UK police officials believe the risks to sensitive data from foreign access are not fully understood or addressed.
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