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Ellipsis

(9,124 posts) Fri Mar 23, 2018, 10:42 PM Mar 2018

Investigators raid offices of Cambridge Analytica after search warrant granted

Source: The Guardian

Eighteen enforcement officers have entered the Cambridge Analytica headquarters in London’s West End to search the premises after the data watchdog was granted a warrant to examine its records.

Four days after the information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, first announced plans to raid the offices, a judge issued a warrant on Friday evening.

Denham has been seeking access to records held by the London-based data analytics company which faces allegations it may have illegally acquired the information of millions of Facebook users and used it to profile and target voters during political campaigns.

Mr Justice Leonard granted the warrant after a five-hour hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, adjourned from Wednesday.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/23/judge-grants-search-warrant-for-cambridge-analyticas-offices

11 replies

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Investigators raid offices of Cambridge Analytica after search warrant granted (Original Post) Ellipsis Mar 2018 OP

Parliamentary inquiry: Why would you announce 4 full days before a raid that you're raiding? DRoseDARs Mar 2018 #1

Sure does sound nutty, but oh so proper. FailureToCommunicate Mar 2018 #3

This message was self-deleted by its author DRoseDARs Mar 2018 #6

Advance notice is the law in the UK for warrants requested pursuant to their Data Protection Act... Princess Turandot Mar 2018 #9

Holy Hell, that's insane. nt DRoseDARs Mar 2018 #10

Um...how is this law even useful. It gives the criminals a week? That is nuts. poboy2 Mar 2018 #11

My hope is that they already had the warrant and already have the records LuvLoogie Mar 2018 #2

Everything of value is gone. rainin Mar 2018 #4

Kinda lost the element of surprise there, didn't they? NBachers Mar 2018 #5

UNAUTHORIZED Crates of documents removed, loaded in van, hauled off days ago poboy2 Mar 2018 #7

+1 dalton99a Mar 2018 #8

DRoseDARs

(6,810 posts)

1. Parliamentary inquiry: Why would you announce 4 full days before a raid that you're raiding?

Reply to Ellipsis (Original post)

Fri Mar 23, 2018, 10:44 PM

Mar 2018

That's 4 full days of evidence destruction.

FailureToCommunicate

(14,014 posts)

3. Sure does sound nutty, but oh so proper.

Reply to DRoseDARs (Reply #1)

Fri Mar 23, 2018, 10:57 PM

Mar 2018

Response to FailureToCommunicate (Reply #3)

DRoseDARs This message was self-deleted by its author.

Princess Turandot

(4,787 posts)

9. Advance notice is the law in the UK for warrants requested pursuant to their Data Protection Act...

Reply to DRoseDARs (Reply #1)

Sat Mar 24, 2018, 06:29 AM

Mar 2018

They had a 5 hour hearing over this yesterday, before the warrant was granted, with CA arguing against it:

Cambridge Analytica (CA) sent two QCs – top barristers – to argue against the ICO’s application. They suggested that the application for the warrant was flawed because, among other things, CA had offered to allow the ICO access to its offices, subject to agreeing the terms and scope of access with the regulator.

Although Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham announced that the ICO intended to apply for a search warrant on live national TV news on Monday, making her look as if she had tipped off CA of an impending raid, the true situation became clear in court: the regulator had been attempting to negotiate access to CA-parent SCL Elections Ltd (SCLE)’s premises for most of this month.

In any event, unlike virtually all other search warrants, warrants issued under Britain's Data Protection Act must by law, in most circumstances, require those on the receiving end be given seven days of notice of the intended swoop in writing, and be given a chance to argue against the warrant if they so wish.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/03/23/cambridge_analytica_ico_search_warrant_approved/

DRoseDARs

(6,810 posts)

10. Holy Hell, that's insane. nt

Reply to Princess Turandot (Reply #9)

Sat Mar 24, 2018, 07:02 AM

Mar 2018

poboy2

(2,078 posts)

11. Um...how is this law even useful. It gives the criminals a week? That is nuts.

Reply to Princess Turandot (Reply #9)

Sat Mar 24, 2018, 11:51 AM

Mar 2018

Facebook staff inbeds erasing, physical files carted off by the crate.
Documented proof of all that.

...and 7 days...

NUTS!

CA will be' innocent' then

LuvLoogie

(7,011 posts)

2. My hope is that they already had the warrant and already have the records

Reply to Ellipsis (Original post)

Fri Mar 23, 2018, 10:47 PM

Mar 2018

rainin

(3,011 posts)

4. Everything of value is gone.

Reply to Ellipsis (Original post)

Fri Mar 23, 2018, 11:28 PM

Mar 2018

These people use emails that self-destruct. They aren't leaving a paper trail for 4 days after they announced intention to secure a warrant. I can't imagine there being anything there now.

NBachers

(17,120 posts)

5. Kinda lost the element of surprise there, didn't they?

Reply to Ellipsis (Original post)

Sat Mar 24, 2018, 12:16 AM

Mar 2018

poboy2

(2,078 posts)

7. UNAUTHORIZED Crates of documents removed, loaded in van, hauled off days ago

Reply to Ellipsis (Original post)

Sat Mar 24, 2018, 01:04 AM

Mar 2018

Crates of documents removed from the same building as Cambridge Analytica's HQ.
The UK’s information commissioner has announced her intention to investigate CA, but on Tuesday she was still awaiting a warrant to enter its central London offices. A Huffington Post reporter said he had seen around 10 crates of documents being removed from the building, which is shared with other tenants.

George Bowden
✔
@georgebowden
Crates filled with documents have been seen being removed from the same building as Cambridge Analytica's HQ. Their provenance cannot be verified. A delivery person did not answer questions, while a van driver said: "No comment". pic.twitter.com/mBPEYZxmQw
5:12 AM - Mar 20, 2018

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210385800

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dalton99a

(81,515 posts)

8. +1

Reply to poboy2 (Reply #7)

Sat Mar 24, 2018, 02:13 AM

Mar 2018

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