The Civil Guard buys a system for 2.5 million to access the mobile phones of people who may have key information in an investigation.

The Civil Guard has formalized the purchase of a system intended to perform remote recordings on mobile phones and other IT devices. The contract, awarded for more than two million euros (around 2.5 million including taxes), will allow the deployment of software on terminals with Android and iOS operating systems to access the contents and communications stored or managed from those devices, as stated in the announcement published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) last Monday. The commercial model of the system, its detailed technical capabilities, or the specific type of information it can access are not specified. It does specify that it must have the capacity to host software on Android and iOS mobiles and allow "transparent access" to the contents of the devices and their communications. The document defines the supply as "a recording and deployment system" to carry out "remote IT recordings of mobile devices within the LECrim (the Criminal Procedure Law)." PUBLICITY This regulation governs, among other matters, technological investigation and the judicial requirements necessary to access devices and communications in criminal investigations carried out by the Armed Institute. The acquisition corresponds to the Economic Affairs Directorate of the Civil Guard and was awarded on March 26th to the company Fortier Europe, based in Boadilla del Monte, Madrid. The purchase was made through a negotiated procedure without public advertisement. This formula allows the Administration to contract without an open public call when certain circumstances provided for in public contracts legislation are present. In this case, the Civil Guard justifies the procedure due to the existence of a single supplier due to the protection of exclusive rights. The file received a single offer, submitted by Fortier Europe. The contract provides for the main delivery of the supplies in the Community of Madrid, although the announcement does not detail the specific location of installation or the operational units that will use the equipment. PUBLICITY Remote recordings under judicial control Spanish law allows authorities to remotely access IT equipment, but requires a judicial authorization. This measure can only be applied within a criminal investigation and must be justified: it must be necessary and relevant to the case. Mobile phones contain a lot of personal information, such as messages, photos, files, contacts, locations, applications, and data from digital services. For this reason, access to these devices is one of the most delicate measures in technological investigations and has specific legal guarantees. The announcement published in the BOE only informs that a public contract has been formalized. It does not mention specific investigations or explain how the acquired system will be used. It also does not specify whether it will allow access to real-time data, recover stored information, or intercept communications. It only includes a general description of the subject of the tender. Those who wish to appeal the award can present an appeal before the Central Administrative Court for Contractual Resources, as indicated in the announcement. The BOE points out that this appeal must be submitted within the deadlines provided for by the Public Sector Contracts Law. PUBLICITY PUBLICITY PUBLICITY