A new investigation is giving full support to the debate linked to encrypted services and how they can assist the police in tracking down a certain group of targeted people.
This particular incident relates to one in Spain where the cops were able to use encryption offered by Apple, Proton, and Wire to trace an activist highlighted for pseudonymous acts as per recently published court documents rolled out by TechCrunch.
During the start of 2024, we witnessed the cops from Guardia Civil generate requests on the legal front via Swiss Police to the tech giants to have this information released so they can be successful in their mission.
Email IDs were provided that people use for registration of such services including details of iCloud email IDs. This request enlisted the theme of the investigation as one linked to terrorism and crime and therefore was dubbed a high priority.
They wished to track down all those taking part in violence at the riots that arose in 2019 in Catalonia, Spain. While not a lot of hopes were put up on this front, documents provided how companies did cooperate including Apple who gave out home addresses, complete name details, and linked accounts on Gmail too.
While iPhone maker Apple is yet to provide requests on this front for comments and even though the name was not publicly revealed, it’s a major step as encryption has been the center of debate for so long.
Many have talked about how they can help cause a decline in user data that could be accessed by anyone and everyone as it’s just the user who can call the shots as they have all the keys.
This stops companies from giving data so easily as it needs a court order. But law enforcement agencies tend to tap into this front for more information including metadata that could identify the user easily.
For now, both Wire and Proton have indeed confirmed that they took part in the investigation and gave data as requested by Swiss Police. Wire gave rise to basic data belonging to users and while it cannot disclose the content right now, it’s clear that assistance from these companies is what helped close the case and give the cops what they were looking for.
But the rep for Proton has also reiterated that they have the least amount of data as revealed in this case how most of the information that led to the whereabouts arose from Apple’s information where suspects could be identified.
Proton adds how it does provide privacy to users as a default option and they don’t take part in anonymity via default as the latter needs users to take part in some actions that ensure recovery of accounts is possible like including your account details of Apple as was done in this particular suspect’s case.
The case is ongoing and that’s why not a lot of details can be shared on this front in the public eye but seeing how encryption could bust individuals guilty of violence and unlawful behavior is a clear eye-opener.
Other reports are speaking about more protests and illegal activities that have been busted thanks to this technology. It seems to be a useful tool that’s getting a lot of attention publicly. But it’s a controversial matter as not a lot of details linked to the investigation are now getting rolled out due to security reasons.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: EU Demands X Be More Transparent About Its Content Moderation Resources And Generative AI Amid Tougher Laws In The Region
This particular incident relates to one in Spain where the cops were able to use encryption offered by Apple, Proton, and Wire to trace an activist highlighted for pseudonymous acts as per recently published court documents rolled out by TechCrunch.
During the start of 2024, we witnessed the cops from Guardia Civil generate requests on the legal front via Swiss Police to the tech giants to have this information released so they can be successful in their mission.
Email IDs were provided that people use for registration of such services including details of iCloud email IDs. This request enlisted the theme of the investigation as one linked to terrorism and crime and therefore was dubbed a high priority.
They wished to track down all those taking part in violence at the riots that arose in 2019 in Catalonia, Spain. While not a lot of hopes were put up on this front, documents provided how companies did cooperate including Apple who gave out home addresses, complete name details, and linked accounts on Gmail too.
While iPhone maker Apple is yet to provide requests on this front for comments and even though the name was not publicly revealed, it’s a major step as encryption has been the center of debate for so long.
Many have talked about how they can help cause a decline in user data that could be accessed by anyone and everyone as it’s just the user who can call the shots as they have all the keys.
This stops companies from giving data so easily as it needs a court order. But law enforcement agencies tend to tap into this front for more information including metadata that could identify the user easily.
For now, both Wire and Proton have indeed confirmed that they took part in the investigation and gave data as requested by Swiss Police. Wire gave rise to basic data belonging to users and while it cannot disclose the content right now, it’s clear that assistance from these companies is what helped close the case and give the cops what they were looking for.
But the rep for Proton has also reiterated that they have the least amount of data as revealed in this case how most of the information that led to the whereabouts arose from Apple’s information where suspects could be identified.
Proton adds how it does provide privacy to users as a default option and they don’t take part in anonymity via default as the latter needs users to take part in some actions that ensure recovery of accounts is possible like including your account details of Apple as was done in this particular suspect’s case.
The case is ongoing and that’s why not a lot of details can be shared on this front in the public eye but seeing how encryption could bust individuals guilty of violence and unlawful behavior is a clear eye-opener.
Other reports are speaking about more protests and illegal activities that have been busted thanks to this technology. It seems to be a useful tool that’s getting a lot of attention publicly. But it’s a controversial matter as not a lot of details linked to the investigation are now getting rolled out due to security reasons.
Read next: EU Demands X Be More Transparent About Its Content Moderation Resources And Generative AI Amid Tougher Laws In The Region
