Deletion of data from the INTERPOL Information System is an important legal outcome, but it does not automatically mean that all related information disappears from national police databases, the Schengen Information System (SIS), or other systems. This international analytical report by Observatoire ARGA examines what happens after INTERPOL data are deleted and which legal mechanisms may be available to address the remaining consequences.

The report identifies four main situations: an outdated copy of a discontinued international status; an independent national measure, such as an active warrant; a historical record retained for a limited purpose; and mistaken identification of an individual. Each situation requires separate verification and potentially different legal remedies.

Particular attention is paid to communication between INTERPOL and national authorities. Following deletion of a Red Notice or other data, countries receive information concerning the need to update their records. However, confirmation that such a notification was sent does not prove that every national system has already been updated. Documentary evidence is therefore essential to determine what information remains, the legal basis for its use, and whether it can still lead to arrest or other measures.

Separate sections examine SIS, national law-enforcement data processing in the EU, Europol, and procedures in France and Germany. The report analyses rights of access, rectification, erasure and restriction of processing, possibilities for supervisory and judicial review, and the implications of the Court of Justice judgment in WS v Germany.

ARGA recommends examining each information system separately and avoiding overly broad statements such as claiming that a person is “no longer wanted anywhere in the world.” A CCF decision may provide significant evidence for further legal protection, but the status of national warrants, SIS alerts and other records must still be established independently.

The report’s central conclusion is that legal protection does not necessarily end when INTERPOL data are deleted. The next step is to identify what information remains elsewhere, whether its continued use is lawful, and which specific legal measures are required to rectify, erase or restrict it.