Sweden police chief granted Canadian company access to sensitive data

sweden-police-chief-under-fire-after-granting-canadian-company-access-to-sensitive-data
Sweden National Police Commissioner Dan Eliasson, in January 2016. (Henrik Montgomery/TT/AFP/Getty Images)
National Police Chief Dan Eliasson allegedly gave a Canadian company sensitive personal information about officers and their families after granting them access to the force’s personnel and payroll system, Swedish Radio reports.

Eliasson brought the company onboard to help with the police’s internal personnel and payroll system.

To save money and time, Eliasson took the decision to forgo using the necessary encryption programs to keep the data safe. The data concerns information about individual officers, their pay, their schedules, special skills that many have, their relatives and their children.

After his staff meet with police administration officials this morning, Justice Minister Morgan Johansson says the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO) will investigate the incident.

“It is too early to make any conclusions, any conclusions will be made by the security service,” Johansson says.

National security laws

Pia Gruvö, head of information security at the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service, said the move breaks with national security laws.

Swedish Radio’s investigation uncovered Eliasson’s decision to grant the company access, but it is unknown what information, if any, was eventually handed over from the police to the company.

Eliasson did not respond to several requests for an interview. The police force issued a press release this morning stating it did not transfer secret or sensitive data to the company and denied any wrongdoing or misshandling of information.

Listen to Radio Sweden’s report:

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