EU Police Agency ‘Built Hidden Databases’ on Ordinary Citizens
18th May 2026
For years, the European Union has presented itself as a global defender of privacy and personal data rights. But a joint investigation by media outlets in the UK, Germany, and Greece claims that Europol, the EU police agency based in The Hague, operated parallel systems for storing and analysing data for years. Those systems allegedly contained huge amounts of personal information, including data on citizens with no criminal record or proven connection to criminal activity.
The issue highlights a growing tension inside the EU itself: the push for stronger preventive security based on mass data collection, alongside repeated promises to protect fundamental rights and personal privacy.
At the centre of the investigation is a system known as the Computer Forensic Network (CFN). Created in 2012, it was designed to process large amounts of digital material linked to criminal investigations. Its original role was relatively limited: storing and filtering information before transferring it into Europol’s official systems.
But the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris changed the situation dramatically.