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Police powerless to stop eavesdrop app

QUEENSLAND Police have slammed an iPhone app that allows users to tap into police radio frequencies on which officers name victims of domestic violence, sexual assaults and other crimes.

The TuneIn Radio app features a pre-programmed menu from which users can listen in and record police radio frequencies in several large regional centres, including Ipswich and Redcliffe.

“There are obvious privacy concerns for victims of crime, as well as operational safety considerations and potential for impacts on ongoing investigations,” said a police spokeswoman.

The app, which also picks up thousands of commercial stations and allows users to listen in to emergency services radio, only receives analog frequencies and doesn’t pick up the Brisbane city police network, which is digitally encrypted.

Queensland Privacy Commissioner Linda Matthews said the app made it easier for people to use the information for the wrong reasons. “The technology to access these broadcasts isn’t new what’s really new is the way it broadens the accessibility.”

She said the Queensland Government could not demand Apple remove the app from its online store because privacy legislation didn’t cover the private sector.