Views of Security Professionals in the EU About the Potential Capabilities of Big Data in Control of Crime

Big Data refers to data sets collected, analyzed, converted into algorithms, categorized and identified through an index to inform and guide criminal policies and actions. This cultural, technological, and academic phenomenon results from the interaction of technology (maximizes computational power and algorithmic precision), analysis (identification of patterns across a set of data) and mythology (widespread belief that large data sets provide intelligence). This paper focus on the case of applications of big data in the field of criminal investigation. In particular, we address the tensions between the expectations around the outputs generated by Big Data and the concrete views of professionals working in police and judiciary cooperation in the EU. Big Data intensifies surveillance associated with information technology and networks, anchored under computerized databases and artificial intelligence software that may serve public safety objectives. In the criminal sphere, it is a preventive tool that guides police strategies and criminal justice decisions, being considered a promising mechanism in the surveillance and prediction of risk in the fight against organized and cross-border crime. Since then, international agencies have favored the use of large data as a tool to analyze, in real time, a large number of data - capable of assisting in the prediction and prevention of criminal acts. This paper aims to present the results of a qualitative research carried out through 48 interviews with professionals involved in the implementation and operation of the so-called Prüm network for the exchange of DNA data in the European Union. Our aim is to understand the security professional’s views about the potential applications of Big Data, along with their perceptions of expected benefits and risks. The results show different expectations about the role of Big as a tool to support the early phase of criminal investigation, as well concerns related to privacy and data protection. Big Data emerges as a promising mechanism in the surveillance and prediction of risk of crime, mainly in regards to organized and cross-border crime and terrorism. These professionals recognize the usefulness of the technique, its preventive and predictive potentialities, and provide examples of potential application in their work. In addition, security professionals also consider possible obstacles that may arise from the implementation of a new criminal investigation technique, and argue for the need to continue to resort to traditional means of combating crime. In general, security professionals support the expansion of Big Data, but they advise to be cautious and recognize the need to be aware of the ethical and human rights challenges.