Qld police access personal e-scooter data to investigate crimes

Police have been using the personal details of e-scooter riders to track down offenders or witnesses to crimes, companies say, but investigators will not reveal how often they use the data.

E-scooter companies, including Beam and Neuron, have both been approached by police for riders’ basic information.

Beam says it checks that any request by an enforcement body is genuine before providing personal information.Credit: Cameron Atfield

The companies do not hold credit card details, which is done externally, but do hand over details provided by commuters when they sign up.

Commuters who use the e-scooters to get around Brisbane are informed of the privacy requirements and the possibility of data transferral when they register to ride.

A spokeswoman for Beam said the Australian Privacy Act permits the holder of personal information to disclose it to a relevant enforcement body if it reasonably believes it to be necessary.

“This potential disclosure is covered off in our privacy notice, which all riders are made aware of via our website and app when signing up with Beam,” she said.

A Neuron spokeswoman says if police make a written request, the company may provide riders’ details.Credit: Matt Dennien

“When we receive a request for personal information, we follow a standard process that includes validating that it’s a genuine request from an enforcement body, and maintaining appropriate audit records.

“We consider the scope and rationale of the personal information request and ensure that any disclosure of personal information we make to an enforcement body is relevant and justifiable given the particular circumstances. And if need be, we push back on the amount of personal information we disclose.

“Only the minimum personal information necessary is provided, and this does not include full credit card details as we do not have or hold this information ourselves. In the interests of data security, this information is segregated from our rider database and held independently by our payment gateway provider.”

A Neuron spokeswoman said the company complied with all applicable laws wherever it operated.

“If formally requested in writing by police, we may provide some rider and e-scooter information as requested for a particular investigation when it is reasonably necessary and permitted under law,” she said.

Police would not reveal how many times investigators had sought information from e-scooter companies but said it would “have to be directly relevant to the matter under investigation and would be obtained as it would be from any other company or entity”.

The Queensland government is struggling to respond to community concerns over youth crime and justify Labor’s laws, which will dominate parliamentary debate this week.

Under pressure, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Steven Miles have instead raised doubts over the work of judges and magistrates, prompting criticism from legal experts.

Youth groups and community sector workers, meanwhile, have called on the government to “get smarter not tougher”, arguing incarceration comes with its own problems. Prisons and youth detention centres are already overcrowded.

On Sunday, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli announced the Liberal National Party, if returned to government, would make breach of bail an offence, evaluate whether early intervention programs are cost-effective, and “unshackle the judges”.

“The premier has said magistrates need to do their job; well, it is time we let them do it with laws that help not hinder,” Crisafulli said.

“We also believe we must start repairing Queensland’s long-term future, which is at risk of being swamped by even more young repeat offenders causing chaos in our communities.”