National Technology Onboarding Program
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About the National Technology Onboarding Program
The RCMP's National Technology Onboarding Program (NTOP) was established to ensure the responsible use of operational technologies by the RCMP and encourage more public transparency of those technologies.
Operational technologies play a critical role in modern policing. They are used to combat crime, investigate suspects, protect children and vulnerable groups, collect evidence, improve data analytics and strengthen police accountability.
NTOP's primary goal is to centralize and bring consistency and oversight to how the RCMP identifies, evaluates and tracks its use of operational technologies.
More specifically, NTOP is responsible for conducting thorough assessments and evaluations of new and existing operational technologies to ensure that they have an operational need, provide a clear benefit to the public, and meet privacy, legal, policy, and ethical standards.
What is an operational technology?
An operational technology is any technology-based tool, technique, device, software, application, or dataset that will be used to support an RCMP investigation or to gather intelligence.
Categories of operational technologies assessed
The types of operational technologies that NTOP assesses fall into one or more of the following categories:
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Algorithmic technology
Algorithm-driven technologies that enable law enforcement agencies to draw inferences from mass data processing with the goal of 'predicting' potential unlawful activity by identifying patterns. Such technologies include license plate readers and other tools that use algorithms and machine-learning.
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Artificial intelligence
Any software application that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to perform specific tasks or solve problems. Artificial intelligence tools can be used in a variety of contexts to automate tasks, analyze data, and improve decision-making.
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Cell-site simulators
Mimics a cell-phone tower and is used to identify cellular devices within the proximity of the cell-site simulator. Collects only identifying numbers - does not intercept private communications. Sometimes referred to as International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catchers.
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Safety cameras video and surveillance
An electronic video system or device that monitors public spaces to detect and record criminal events or any other threat to public safety. This category includes Body-Worn Cameras and Camera Registry services.
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Criminal group databases (dataset)
Investigative resources to maintain consistent, up-to-date intelligence regarding criminal groups and street gangs.
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Cryptocurrency analysis tools
Performs search activities for cryptocurrency addresses across the blockchain, as well as other public data sources on the Internet such as cryptocurrency transaction information.
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Digital forensic access tools
Software and physical devices that are used to access, extract, and process information found on electronic devices. In some cases, the software may also facilitate extraction of information from cloud-based services.
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Drones and drone detection systems
Commonly referred to as drones, the RCMP refers to them as remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS). Drone detection systems are used to identify non-RCMP remotely piloted aircraft systems.
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Facial recognition software
Facial recognition is a digital technology that is used to compare images obtained during criminal investigations with lawfully obtained photographs of known individuals.
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Global positioning systems tracking devices
Devices capable of identifying or estimating the geographic position of a device or object that is being tracked.
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Internet attribution management infrastructures
Activities on the Internet and the pieces of information left behind from those activities often result in data, or 'digital footprints.' These tools help identify and interpret that data, which may include IP addresses, advertising IDs, and other data generated by networks and devices.
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Media aggregation services
Software platforms that search across thousands of public sources of information on the Internet and alert users to its existence. These alerts may also include a link to the original source of the information on the Internet and the time the information was posted on the Internet.
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On-device investigative tools
A computer program as defined in section 342.1(2) of the Criminal Code that is installed on a targeted computing device that enables covert and remote collection of electronic evidence from the device. Commonly referred to as ODITs.
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Open source intelligence
The collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (that is the Internet) to produce actionable intelligence. It is primarily used in law enforcement, public safety, and national security contexts for situational awareness and evidentiary purposes.
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Social network analysis tools
Tools that process information on social networking platforms to aid police in discovering information relevant to investigations and to address public safety concerns.
Transparency and operational technologies
- Transparency Blueprint: Snapshot of operational technologies
- Provides an overview the responsible use of operational technologies by the RCMP while detailing the types of technologies assessed by NTOP.
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