EU reaches agreement on expanding automated exchange of police data – IT Pro – News

The European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission have reached an interim agreement on the Prüm II Regulation. As part of this, it should become possible to automatically exchange more types of data between different police forces in the EU.

Brom II Regulations It also allows personal photographs or biometric images of suspects or convicted criminals to be exchanged between EU countries, after which they can be used, for example, for automatic face comparison. Police reports can also be shared under the new law. The 2005 Broome Treaty has already allowed the exchange of DNA, fingerprints and vehicle registration data with other EU countries, but the number of categories is now being expanded.

In addition, Police services may exchange data in the case of missing persons and the search for remains, if permitted by national law. Under the current framework, authorities can only automatically compare data in the databases of other EU member states without knowing which personal and/or case data belong to them. Only if a match is found, is it possible to request the associated data.

The “knock-knock” principle has now been partly discarded, as authorities are now allowed to search all categories to find missing persons without first obtaining an automated match. Names, dates of birth and case numbers from criminal proceedings may be exchanged only after a positive match. If there is a positive match, the country concerned must provide the relevant data within 48 hours.

Moreover, the aim is to create a central router so that linking the databases of different member states is simplified, says the EU. The router must consist of a lookup tool and a secure communication channel. The entity searching for a match will have to send its data, such as a fingerprint, to the router in the future. This will automatically redirect your search request to databases for other EU countries. A European Police Records Index system for automated search and exchange of international police data is being established.

Under the new legislation, Europol will also have access to national databases to verify information. However, these data may only be compared to solve crimes punishable by imprisonment of at least one year. This agreement still needs the approval of representatives of member states. Only then will the regulation be officially adopted by the European Council and the European Parliament.