In February, Canadian Paul Krusky was detained in France on drug and money laundering charges related to the encryption software EncroChat. Krusky’s lawyer has told the Globe and Mail, “The story that was constructed by the police to get him in jail is cracking.”
Catch-up: EncroChat was an operating system used on modified Android phones that allowed for encrypted messaging and boasted a host of privacy-forward features, like the ability to remotely wipe a phone of all of its data. This made it attractive to organized crime.
- Between 2017 and 2020, French and Dutch authorities investigated EncroChat, eventually accessing its servers and shutting down operations.
- French authorities allege Krusky was the boss of EncroChat and deliberately sold its products to known criminals, like a Spanish drug lord and Dutch biker gangs.
- Krusky’s lawyer claims that he is just a “Canadian geek” who wanted to build privacy software. But he got in over his head and was threatened by bad actors.
Why it matters: The EncroChat case is an example of the wider crackdown on encrypted messaging services that global authorities have taken up in recent years. It’s a development that has led to widespread arrests, but has also concerned privacy advocates.—QH