Australian cops, FBI created backdoored chat app, told crims it was secure — then listened to 9,000 users' plots

Australian cops, FBI created backdoored chat app, told crims it was secure — then listened to 9,000 users' plots

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has revealed it was able to decrypt messages sent on a supposedly secure messaging app that was seeded into the organised crime community and promoted as providing snoop-proof comms.


But the app was built by the FBI, and law enforcement authorities were able to tune into conversations between about 9,000 users scattered around Earth.


Results in Australia alone have included over 500 warrants executed, 200-plus arrests, seizure of $45m, and prevention of a credible threat to murder a family of five. Over 4,000 AFP officers were involved in raids overnight, Australian time. Europol and the FBI will detail their use of the app in the coming hours.

The existence of the app — part of Operation Ironside — was revealed at a press conference in Australia today, where AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw detailed that informal beer-based meetings between members of the AFP and the ..

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