UK watchdog reportedly orders Metropolitan Police to strengthen controls over Auror use

A reprimand and enforcement notice over unapproved use

The Register reports that the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) reprimanded London's Metropolitan Police Service and issued an enforcement notice over officers' use of Auror, a platform retailers use to record incidents including shoplifting.

The report says roughly 500 free police accounts were registered and that officers uploaded personal data relating to 179 people without required privacy checks or force approval. It says access was blocked in September 2024, while the Metropolitan Police later completed approval and other checks; a spokesperson told the publication that Auror is again used in 14 London boroughs after a pilot.

The report says Metropolitan Police officers used Auror between March 2023 and September 2024 without formal procurement, a data-protection impact assessment, or data-sharing agreements. It does not provide a comparable prior enforcement outcome.

According to the report, the ICO has now reprimanded the Metropolitan Police and issued an enforcement notice requiring stronger safeguards against improper use of third-party tools and periodic progress updates.

Use resumed after suspension while controls are strengthened

The reported enforcement action concerns how a public police force governs access to a third-party platform that handles incident reports, images, and CCTV. The ICO reportedly found that the force's safeguards had not prevented unapproved software use and required changes intended to address that gap.