News Europol wants Encryption Keys from major Messaging Apps.

[Fixxx]

European law enforcement officials believe that the world's largest technology corporations should take greater responsibility and provide them with encryption keys that would allow access to user's messages in major messaging apps. This opinion was expressed by Europol's Executive Director Catherine De Bolle.

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"Anonymity is not a fundamental right. When you are standing in front of a locked door with a search warrant, knowing that a criminal is inside, the public is unlikely to agree that you cannot enter", De Bolle philosophically noted.​

She clarified that she plans to discuss this issue with the leaders of major tech giants during the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. According to De Bolle, this is about social responsibility, under which corporations are obliged to provide police access to messages and communications. This primarily concerns encrypted applications that are most popular among criminals. De Bolle also stated that she would like to expand the use of artificial intelligence in the agency's investigations and examine "hybrid threats". Europol utilizes its vast data repository to assist member states in combating serious and organized crime in areas such as terrorism, drug trafficking and fraud. Over the past six years, the agency has doubled its staff to approximately 1,700 people.

Last year, Europol, in collaboration with the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice, dismantled the operations of the ransomware group LockBit. The agency also played a significant role in combating drug trafficking in Europe, assisting in the decryption of messages on platforms used by criminals, such as EncroChat and Sky ECC. Access to these messages led to numerous criminal cases and thousands of arrests. Last year, more than 100 individuals were convicted in Belgium's largest criminal trial in history, based on evidence obtained from the decryption of Sky ECC. Several more cases related to message decryption are expected to be reviewed soon. In March, Europol plans to publish its analysis of crime over the past four years.