Europol chief Catherine De Bolle wants big tech companies to cooperate more with law enforcement on encryption. She believes that failure to do so could pose a threat to European democracy.
This week, De Bolle will meet with representatives of tech giants at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The head of Europol believes that companies have a “social responsibility” to provide police with access to encrypted messages of criminals hiding behind anonymity.
“Anonymity is not a fundamental right,” said the executive director of the EU law enforcement agency. She drew an analogy with a search: a situation where the police cannot enter a house with a locked door despite having a search warrant and information about the criminal inside is unacceptable for society. According to her, in a digital environment, police need access to decrypted messages to fight crime. “Without this, it will be impossible to ensure compliance with democratic principles,” she added.
However, Europol’s position has drawn serious criticism from digital rights experts. They point out that anonymity is a fundamental component of the right to freedom of expression, as confirmed by decisions of the highest courts. Tech experts also point out that creating a “backdoor” in encryption systems could lead to a black market for genuinely secure apps that would be used by criminals, while ordinary citizens would remain at risk of potential surveillance. A
long-running standoff between tech companies and law enforcement agencies revolves around the use of end-to-end encryption in messaging apps, which makes it difficult to obtain evidence in investigations. Last April, European police chiefs called on governments and industry to take urgent action.
Apple, Meta* (the owner of WhatsApp), and the Signal app have consistently rejected legal action against their encryption systems, arguing that it would jeopardize the privacy and security of users. Apple has taken steps to increase cooperation with law enforcement in the fight against online crime, but these initiatives have been rolled back amid protests from privacy advocates.
Some EU countries, including Germany, are skeptical about allowing law enforcement to access private messages, which has delayed legislation to combat child sexual abuse.
Europol, which helps countries combat serious crimes in the areas of terrorism, drug trafficking and fraud, has doubled its staff to 1,700 during De Bolle’s tenure. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced plans to further expand the agency’s staff and strengthen its mandate.
Last year, Europol demonstrated its effectiveness by helping to dismantle the ransomware group LockBit. The agency also played a key role in the fight against drug trafficking by helping to decrypt messages from the criminal services EncroChat and Sky ECC, leading to thousands of arrests. In Belgium, more than 100 people have been convicted in the largest criminal case based on evidence from decrypted Sky ECC messages. More cases involving the decryption of these services are ahead, De Bolle said.
In March, Europol will publish a four-year assessment of the serious organised crime threat in the EU, including information on external interference. De Bolle also advocates for the increased use of artificial intelligence in investigations and the study of "hybrid threats."
This week, De Bolle will meet with representatives of tech giants at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The head of Europol believes that companies have a “social responsibility” to provide police with access to encrypted messages of criminals hiding behind anonymity.
“Anonymity is not a fundamental right,” said the executive director of the EU law enforcement agency. She drew an analogy with a search: a situation where the police cannot enter a house with a locked door despite having a search warrant and information about the criminal inside is unacceptable for society. According to her, in a digital environment, police need access to decrypted messages to fight crime. “Without this, it will be impossible to ensure compliance with democratic principles,” she added.
However, Europol’s position has drawn serious criticism from digital rights experts. They point out that anonymity is a fundamental component of the right to freedom of expression, as confirmed by decisions of the highest courts. Tech experts also point out that creating a “backdoor” in encryption systems could lead to a black market for genuinely secure apps that would be used by criminals, while ordinary citizens would remain at risk of potential surveillance. A
long-running standoff between tech companies and law enforcement agencies revolves around the use of end-to-end encryption in messaging apps, which makes it difficult to obtain evidence in investigations. Last April, European police chiefs called on governments and industry to take urgent action.
Apple, Meta* (the owner of WhatsApp), and the Signal app have consistently rejected legal action against their encryption systems, arguing that it would jeopardize the privacy and security of users. Apple has taken steps to increase cooperation with law enforcement in the fight against online crime, but these initiatives have been rolled back amid protests from privacy advocates.
Some EU countries, including Germany, are skeptical about allowing law enforcement to access private messages, which has delayed legislation to combat child sexual abuse.
Europol, which helps countries combat serious crimes in the areas of terrorism, drug trafficking and fraud, has doubled its staff to 1,700 during De Bolle’s tenure. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced plans to further expand the agency’s staff and strengthen its mandate.
Last year, Europol demonstrated its effectiveness by helping to dismantle the ransomware group LockBit. The agency also played a key role in the fight against drug trafficking by helping to decrypt messages from the criminal services EncroChat and Sky ECC, leading to thousands of arrests. In Belgium, more than 100 people have been convicted in the largest criminal case based on evidence from decrypted Sky ECC messages. More cases involving the decryption of these services are ahead, De Bolle said.
In March, Europol will publish a four-year assessment of the serious organised crime threat in the EU, including information on external interference. De Bolle also advocates for the increased use of artificial intelligence in investigations and the study of "hybrid threats."