Volunteers who set up a local crime‑prevention network in several Warsaw districts two years ago say footage and attendance logs they gathered to deter street theft were passed to a contractor that produced so‑called "civic risk" maps used by political offices. The project, known locally as the Bezpieczny Krok neighbourhood hubs, began as a community initiative after a spate of moped thefts in late 2024.
The arrangement came to light after three volunteers filed requests under a freedom‑of‑information law; municipal records released this month include a procurement entry and server access logs showing transfers to an external analytics company in September 2025. Opposition MPs demanded answers on Wednesday and prosecutors confirmed they had opened a preliminary probe.
How footage was repurposed
The central evidence is a municipal procurement notice that funds a contractor, CivSec Analytics, to provide "behavioural‑pattern analysis and anomaly detection" on footage and volunteer logs gathered by Bezpieczny Krok hubs. The contract, signed on 23 August 2025 and worth 8.3 million zł, specified delivery of heat‑map outputs and CSV lists labelled with ward codes and timestamps, the register shows.
Maddalena Bruno, a 42‑year‑old volunteer who coordinated camera shifts in the Mokotów hub, said she learned of the contract only when she asked for copies of footage to help an elderly neighbour contest a fine. "We set up cameras to watch streets, not to be watched for who attends a rally," she said. "The moment I saw those table names I knew this was wrong."
Political fallout
The city hall issued a terse statement saying the analytics were intended to identify unusual crowding that could pose safety or terrorism risks and that no personal data was sold. Interior Minister Agnieszka Zaworska told reporters that a review would determine whether any material had been used for political targeting and ordered an immediate audit of access logs.
We thought we were protecting our streets, not compiling voting maps.
Maddalena Bruno, volunteer
Sarp Egeli, a cybersecurity researcher at the University of Warsaw who examined a copy of the access logs after they were released to petitioners, said the output files matched formats used in voter‑mobilisation work and contained time‑series markers that would allow analysts to tie public meetings to turnout windows. "Technically, there's nothing in the files that prevents them from being repurposed for political profiling," he said.
CivSec Analytics provided a written response saying its contract required it to run anonymous, aggregated analyses to help the city target safety patrols and that it had no role in electoral campaigning. "All deliverables were de‑identified and intended for safety planners," a company statement said. City officials, speaking under background, acknowledged the firm was asked to produce granular maps but denied telling the firm to correlate them with voting data.
What's next
Opposition parties called for immediate resignations and for the National Electoral Commission to open an inquiry into whether any maps were shared with political offices. Prosecutors said they were examining whether the transfers violated data‑protection or electoral laws; potential penalties could include criminal charges and administrative fines if unlawful processing is proven.
Volunteers across the 14 wards say they feel betrayed. Laura Leeb, who runs evenings at a Praga hub, said residents are already unplugging cameras and cancelling patrol rosters. "People lent their evenings and their cameras because they trusted their neighbours. That trust is gone," she said. The city has pledged to suspend further analytics work until the investigations conclude.
