https://www.newscientist.com/article/2374487-us-police-are-selling-seized-phones-with-personal-data-still-on-them/

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Technology

US police are selling seized phones with personal data still on them

Nude photos, bank details and stolen credit card numbers have been
found on devices sold by US police forces via auction sites

By Matthew Sparkes

27 May 2023

      

[SEI_157152356]

Phones seized by police forces can be sold in online auctions

Ryan J Lane/iStockphoto/Getty Images

Mobile phones seized in US criminal investigations are being sold
online with personal data like emails, bank details and nude photos
intact. Security experts warn that the practice enables hackers to
buy phones and commit the same crimes as the previous owner, with the
same data and victims.

Various US states have laws allowing police forces to dispose of
lost-and-found items if they aren't collected within a certain time,
as well as devices that were used in criminal investigations or ...

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