The Register reports that London’s Metropolitan Police made more than 700,000 requests for communications data from tech companies in 2025, according to FOI disclosures. The figures include requests involving platforms such as LycaMobile and claims of data acquisition from privacy-focused services including Proton Mail, ProtonVPN, and Signal, though Proton and Signal disputed parts of the police account.
Why it matters: The disclosures highlight the scale of police metadata surveillance and raise transparency and oversight questions around access to communications data from mainstream and privacy-oriented services. It matters to UK users, privacy defenders, and policymakers assessing lawful access powers and safeguards for sensitive professions such as journalists and lawyers.
2026.05.20
100% relevant
This article establishes a distinct surveillance-policy story centered on FOI-revealed Metropolitan Police access requests and disputes over what privacy services can or did provide.
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