Met Police requested communications data access over 700,000 in 2025
Published: 20/05/2026
| The Register
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) requested access to private communications data (CD) over 700,000 times in 2025. The data reveals surveillance spanning everyday platforms like takeaway delivery apps, alongside a 500% year-on-year surge in requests targeting low-cost mobile operator LycaMobile. The sharp increase has raised concerns about potential immigration crackdowns amid the provider's popularity among foreign nationals.
The statistics also suggest that CD is acquired from privacy-focused services. The force claims it accessed user metadata from ProtonMail 139 times since 2024, alongside instances involving ProtonVPN and the encrypted messaging application Signal. However, both Proton and Signal have strongly disputed these records, stating they do not collect or share the logged activities or user data suggested by the force.
MPS declined to comment on the specific technical discrepancies but stressed that all companies are legally obliged to cooperate with the Office for Communications Data Authorisations (OCDA), part of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office (IPCO), which oversees such data acquisitions.
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