What an Interpol Diffusion Is and How It Differs from a Notice
A diffusion is a request circulated by one member country directly to others through the Organization’s channels. It can ask for the same action as a red notice, including provisional arrest, but it is not published and it does not go through the same prior review. In practice that makes it harder to discover and, on occasion, easier to obtain.
How it differs from a notice
- Who circulates it
- The requesting country itself, rather than the Organization.
- Prior review
- Lighter than for a notice, which is the source of most of the criticism of the instrument.
- Publication
- None at all. There is no public extract in which a diffusion appears.
- Effect sought
- Can be the same, including provisional arrest pending extradition.
- Reviewability
- The same. Data circulated by diffusion is subject to the same rules and can be challenged.
The instrument most people have heard of works differently in each of these respects — how a red notice differs.
How common diffusions are
They are not a marginal instrument. Of the 1,157 admissible access and deletion requests in 2024 where the applicant was in fact subject to data, 29 per cent (335) concerned diffusions, against 59 per cent (687) concerning notices and 12 per cent (135) other categories of data. So among the people who turn out to be recorded at all, close to three in ten are recorded by a diffusion rather than by a notice.
Source: Annual Activity Report of the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files for 2024 (GA-2025-93-REP-09).
Challenging a diffusion
Data circulated by diffusion is held in the Organization’s files and is therefore subject to its rules on accuracy, purpose and political neutrality. The route is the same as for a notice — challenging a diffusion before the CCF.
Other instruments
Diffusions sit alongside the coloured notices, which have their own purposes and effects — types of Interpol notices.
Where the aim is deletion rather than understanding the instrument, see removing an INTERPOL diffusion.
A diffusion is harder to find and just as reviewable
Establishing whether one exists is the same procedure as for a notice. Legal help with an Interpol alert.
Request a free case assessmentFrequently asked
What is the difference between a diffusion and a notice?
A notice is issued by the Organization after review; a diffusion is circulated by a country directly, with lighter review and no publication.
Who can send an Interpol diffusion?
A member country’s National Central Bureau, to some or all other members.
Can an Interpol diffusion be deleted?
Yes, on the same grounds and through the same Commission as a notice.
How long does a diffusion stay active?
Subject to retention rules and periodic review rather than a fixed term.