Saturday

9th Dec 2023

UK taking 'steps' after illegal copying of EU Schengen data

  • Investigators had also found EU security data breaches at Heathrow airport (Photo: Valentina Pop)

The European Commission has indirectly confirmed the UK made illegal copies of classified personal information from a database reserved for members of the passport-free Schengen travel zone.

Asked to comment on the classified report, obtained and revealed by this website early last year, Julian King, the European commissioner for security, on Wednesday (24 July) said "those are meant to be confidential discussions that we have with the individual member states."

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Without citing the UK by name, he then said the country had since taken a series of what he described as "practical steps" to address the issues identified in the report.

"It is not just one member state that has some challenges in this area, there are a number of member states that have challenges in this area," he said.

The 29-page report had listed years of violations by British authorities, following restricted access to the Schengen Information System (SIS).

SIS is an EU-run database used by police to track down undocumented migrants, missing people, stolen property, or suspected criminals.

Although the UK is not in the Schengen area, which includes 26 other European countries, it has been given limited access to SIS since 2015.

The document, drafted by Schengen experts from EU states and by the European commission, had said the UK violations "constitute serious and immediate risks to the integrity and security of SIS data as well as for the data subjects."

Among other things, the UK had made numerous full and partial copies of SIS, increasing the risk of further data breaches.

Its sloppy disregard of the rules include making unlawful copies of data, which it then stored on laptops at airports and government offices.

Private contractors like IBM hired by the UK government were also given access.

Entrusting private contractors to handle such sensitive information, which included photographs and fingerprints, only increased risks in terms of physical and logical data security, noted the report.

US firms are also obliged to hand over the data to the US government if so requested under the Patriot Act.

Furthermore, given the SIS database is constantly updated, it means partial or full copies placed on laptops remains static - posing serious issues for anyone whose name or identity is supposed to have been removed.

"SIS data is not deleted when the issuing member states deletes it but kept in this database," warned the report.

It had also noted that the UK had failed to implement numerous recommendations to address "very serious deficiencies" already made in 2015.

King said the probe carried out in the lead up to the report is part of a rolling process to make sure that all EU states respect SIS and other EU-wide information systems.

"It is crucial if we are going to have faith in those systems," he said.

The issue comes amid heightened anxiety over the UK's end of October deadline to leave the European Union. The UK wants to keep security access to EU databases like SIS.

King, himself British, said that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, security cooperation would have to be based on other international and non-EU frameworks.

"I have to say, since I have spent the past three and half years of my life devoted to this, EU frameworks are better than many areas than the other existing international frameworks," he said.

Investigation

UK unlawfully copying data from EU police system

The British government is abusing EU travel security systems, making and using illegal copies of outdated information, and putting innocent people at risk of being red-flagged.

MEPs slam UK for violating EU police database

EUobserver's revelations of how the UK violates and abuses an EU police database sparked heated debate in the European Parliament's civil liberties committee - as the European Commission refused to respond to questions given the confidentiality of the leaked document.

Exclusive

Balkan spies 'feed' EU's police database via Czechs

Western Balkan secret services have handed over more the 250 alerts on suspected foreign terrorist fighters since last summer - fed into the EU's police database by the Czech Republic, according to a confidential document seen by EUobserver.

Opinion

Let's end Bulgaria and Romania's 11-year Schengen purgatory

The Schengen area is undoubtedly one of the EU's greatest achievements. Unrestricted travel benefits millions of European citizens and businesses. But for Bulgaria and Romania, the EU has yet to make this borderless dream come true.

Analysis

How Wilders' Dutch extremism goes way beyond Islamophobia

Without losing sight of his pervasive Islamophobia, it is essential to note Geert Wilders' far-right extremism extends to other issues that could drastically alter the nature of Dutch politics — and end its often constructive role in advancing EU policies.

Latest News

  1. How Moldova is trying to control tuberculosis
  2. Many problems to solve in Dubai — honesty about them is good
  3. Sudanese fleeing violence find no haven in Egypt or EU
  4. How should EU reform the humanitarian aid system?
  5. EU suggests visa-bans on Israeli settlers, following US example
  6. EU ministers prepare for all-night fiscal debate
  7. Spain's Nadia Calviño backed to be EIB's first female chief
  8. Is there hope for the EU and eurozone?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us