Cops Hacked Thousands of Phones. Was It Legal?

Potential clients of Christian Ldden wanted to talk about only one thing. Every person that the German criminal defense lawyer spoke to had been using the Encrochat phone network and was worried that their device had been hacked, potentially exposing crimes they may have committed. Ldden had 20 similar meetings. The flood is going to come.

The Encrochat network was compromised by police across Europe. More than 100 million messages were sucked off by the malicious software planted by the police. Drug deals, organized kidnappings, murders, and more were discussed by people.

Hundreds of people were arrested, homes were raided, and thousands of kilograms of drugs were seized as a result of the hack. It wasn't the end. Thousands of Encrochat users across Europe are in jail two years later.

Legal challenges are questioning the hacking operation. The lawyers claim that investigations are flawed and that the hacked messages should not be used as evidence in court. A case in Germany was sent to Europe's highest court at the end of the 20th century. The challenge could affect the convictions of criminals. There are implications for end- to-end encryption around the world.

Ldden says that even bad people have rights in the jurisdiction. We don't defend criminals or crimes. The rights of accused people are defended by us.

It is possible to hack Encrochat.

Around 60,000 people were signed up to the Encrochat phone network when it was busted by police. Subscribers paid thousands of dollars to use a custom phone that could be used without being seen. The phone had a number of security features, including the ability to use a version of the signal protocol, as well as live customer support. The camera, microphone, andGPS chip could be removed.

The Encrochat server in Roubaix, France, was compromised by the police who hacked the phone network. According to court documents, 32,477 of Encrochat's 66,134 users were affected by the hacking in 122 countries. The data on the phones could be used by the investigators. Law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation. The company shut itself down after it was hacked.

Legal challenges are increasing across Europe. Messages from Encrochat can be used as evidence. These decisions are being challenged. The cases, many of which have been reported in detail by Computer Weekly, are complex because each country has its own legal system with different rules for different types of evidence. The UK doesn't allow "Intercepted" evidence to be used in court, while Germany has a high bar.