5G networks will make it harder for police to wiretap criminals mobile phones

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With the launch of 5G technologies, law enforcement agencies will lose the ability to eavesdrop on the mobile devices of criminals, said Catherine De Bolle, head of the European police agency Europol. De Boll has asked EU leaders to increase funding and empowerment to tackle tech-savvy criminals as EU member states do not yet have the technology to fill the gap in the transition from 4G to 5G, Reuters reported.

Now law enforcement agencies can eavesdrop and track criminals using mobile devices in the 4G network, but with the transition to the next generation standard, this opportunity will disappear. De Boll said European law enforcement agencies were too late to be involved in negotiations between tech companies and lawmakers on the transition to 5G, and now it will be necessary to look for other methods to minimize the damage to the police, who will be deprived of surveillance capabilities.

“The biggest risk is that we do not have enough information about technical developments, and we need to be one step ahead. We need to understand what is happening and react accordingly, ”said De Boll.

Founded in 1999, Europol fights cross-border organized crime, terrorism and cybercrime in the EU. In particular, Europol is a platform for the modernization of the EU police force, taking into account the realities of the digital age. The agency is headquartered in The Hague and has approximately 900 employees. Europol's budget for this year is 138 million euros, but by 2027 it is planned to double it, mainly to modernize the cyber capabilities of the department.