Europol launches data decryption platform for law enforcement officers

[Carder]

Europol has announced the launch of a new platform designed to improve the efficiency of decryption of data collected legally during the investigation of crimes. According to the authors of the project, digital evidence that is not available for analysis will now be processed centrally and taking into account the accumulated experience, which will make it possible to deal more successfully with group crimes and terrorist attacks on the territory of the European Union.

The new service was developed jointly with the joint research center of the European Commission (JRC). The project is managed by the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), which operates under the auspices of Europol.

"The launch of the new data decryption platform is an important step in the fight against organized crime and terrorism in Western Europe," Europol said in a press release. - This initiative will help EU law enforcement agencies ensure the security of communities and citizens without infringing on their fundamental rights or restricting or weakening encryption."

The European Council, for its part, adopted a resolution on encryption, emphasizing the need to ensure security "both through encryption and in spite of encryption." In a press release, the Council expressed its readiness to support the development of strong encryption tools, as they are necessary to protect the rights of citizens and their security in the digital space. At the same time, European lawmakers called for enabling competent law enforcement and justice agencies to gain access to digital evidence protected by encryption.

The EU Council's position on "security against encryption" is best clarified by its three-year-old report (PDF) on European cybercrime policies. This report contains the following recommendations:

• EU member States should invest in specialized software and equipment with adequate speed, as well as in training personnel to ensure that files and communications are decrypted.
• member States should ensure interaction with all stakeholders, including, where appropriate, private companies, in order to enhance decryption capabilities for competent authorities.
• EU member States should intensify research and development that can improve the efficiency of decryption, and in particularly difficult cases, use Europol tools, in particular the EC3 data decryption platform.