I had the opportunity to contribute as an interviewee to the investigative report The Crime Messenger and the podcast Delete Everything, Bro by ZDF, paper trail media GmbH, and hauseins. These productions examine one of the largest privacy breaches ever conducted by European authorities, orchestrated by Europol, focusing on the encrypted communication platform SkyECC.
Over 20 months, law enforcement intercepted over a billion messages from 170,000 users worldwide, targeting individuals solely based on their use of encrypted platforms. This raises pressing questions about the balance between privacy and security, especially as Europol now aims for a "frontdoor" to encryption.
Remarkably, the podcast reveals that such mass surveillance wouldn't be legal in Germany, yet German authorities have leveraged data from other countries. The production sheds light on the tension between protecting citizens' privacy and pursuing justice, prompting us to ask: how much privacy should we sacrifice for safety?
It’s crucial to reflect on whether combating crime justifies disproportionate, union-law-violating mass surveillance. Let’s not turn a blind eye when such measures occur on our doorstep, instead of overseas.
Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLYoChYvaWw&list=PLxQpGVedMjRp38e4m3ejoxer2mSG7vddz (german)
