Belgium’s National Drug Commissioner, Ine Van Wymersch, told Euronews’ interview show 12 Minutes With that the European Union can use its regulatory authority to compel encrypted communication firms to assist law enforcement in the fight against drug trafficking.
Van Wymersch stated, “We need more pressure from the European institutions to force these large companies that are bringing their encrypted communication tools to our market to cooperate with law enforcement.
She clarified, “They are facilitating both legal and illegal communication.” “We observe that criminal organizations are taking full advantage of these companies’ reluctance to cooperate with law enforcement. Because criminal gangs’ leadership and logistical branches depend on these platforms, the agency refers to them as “powerful tools” for investigators.
In the past, Belgian authorities have broken billions of messages on Sky ECC and Encrochat, resulting in over 100 convictions and significant advancements in the war on drugs. However, Van Wymersch also brought up commercial apps like Signal and Telegram as possible targets for additional crackdowns.
Since both Telegram and Signal claim fewer than 45 million monthly users across the EU, they are not yet considered “Very Large Online Platforms” under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU’s digital regulation.
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