Red Notice, Diffusion and Other Types of Notices
The INTERPOL notice system is one of the most visible and most debated tools of international police cooperation. Ranging from Red Notices and diffusions to Yellow Notices for missing persons and notices concerning modus operandi, this system accelerates the flow of information between countries. At the same time, however, it raises critical questions in terms of human rights, data protection and legality. On this page, we explain the types of INTERPOL notices, how the system operates, and their effects on individuals in clear and accessible language.
Red Notice, Diffusion and Other Types of Notices
The most visible tools through which INTERPOL enables international cooperation are the “notice” and “diffusion” systems. These mechanisms are used to accelerate information-sharing between member countries and to facilitate the identification of wanted persons, missing persons or elements connected to crime. Each notice type is coded with a different colour and varies according to its purpose and scope.
- Red Notice
- A Red Notice is the most effective and best-known type of notice. It is published on the basis of a valid arrest warrant or judicial decision issued by a country’s judicial authorities, with the aim of facilitating the person’s provisional arrest at the international level and the initiation of extradition proceedings. A Red Notice contains information such as the person’s identity details, photograph, biometric data and a summary of the accusation. However, a Red Notice is not an arrest warrant. Whether the person is arrested or detained depends on the procedural rules of the country where the person is located and on that country’s international extradition obligations. Therefore, a Red Notice is an international wanted-person alert; it does not have direct enforcement power.
Diffusion
A diffusion is a less formal method of notification than a Red Notice, but in practice it may produce similar consequences. It is transmitted directly by a member country’s National Central Bureau (NCB) to other countries through INTERPOL’s secure communication network.
This mechanism is generally preferred in urgent situations or where an arrest request needs to be transmitted quickly. As with a Red Notice, diffusions are used to share information for the purpose of locating, detaining or extraditing a person. However, the publication process is shorter and is not subject to prior approval by the General Secretariat.
INTERPOL also publishes other colour-coded notices used for different operational purposes.
- Blue Notice
- A Blue Notice is published to collect additional information about a person’s identity or location.
- Green Notice
- A Green Notice is issued as a warning concerning persons who have committed serious offences in the past and may pose a risk of reoffending.
- Yellow Notice
- A Yellow Notice is used to help locate missing persons, especially missing children, or to identify persons who are unable to identify themselves.
- Orange Notice
- An Orange Notice contains warnings about dangerous weapons, explosives or other harmful materials that may pose a threat to public safety.
- Black Notice
- A Black Notice is published to identify unidentified deceased persons.
- Purple Notice
- A Purple Notice enables the sharing of technical information concerning the methods used to commit certain offences, the modus operandi of criminal organisations, or the tools used in criminal activity.
All of these notices are stored in INTERPOL’s international database and are accessible only to law enforcement authorities of member countries. The validity and legal consequences of notices are determined both by INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data and by the national legal systems of member states.
The legality, proportionality and accuracy of notices are supervised by the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF). Although the CCF operates within INTERPOL, it has an independent structure. The Commission examines applications by individuals seeking to find out whether data concerning them exists, and requests for the correction or deletion of inaccurate or unlawful records.
In this respect, the CCF functions as a supervisory body that helps ensure that INTERPOL’s data system operates in accordance with human rights, the protection of personal data and the right to a fair trial.
Even where a Red Notice has not been published or has been removed, there may still be a risk that data concerning the person remains in the INTERPOL system. Requests submitted by member countries that were rejected, remained pending, or were transmitted through diffusion may leave certain data blocks in the system and may cause practical problems at border crossings or during security checks.
For this reason, in applications to the CCF, it is a more appropriate approach to request not only the removal of a Red Notice, but also the deletion of all personal data records concerning the individual.
- Even where a Red Notice has not been published or has been removed, there may still be a risk that data concerning the person remains in the INTERPOL system. Requests submitted by member countries that were rejected, remained pending, or were transmitted through diffusion may leave certain data blocks in the system and may cause practical problems at border crossings or during security checks. For this reason, in applications to the CCF, it is a more appropriate approach to request not only the removal of a Red Notice, but also the deletion of all personal data records concerning the individual.
Relevant Links
İnterpol’ün Yeni Başkanı Fransız Lucas Philippe Oldu
“İnterpol, Ankara’nın Hiç Bir Başvurusunu Ciddiye Almıyor”