Europol and the European Commission have launched a new decryption platform that will help boost Europol’s ability to gain access to information stored in encrypted media collected during criminal investigations.
The new decryption platform operated by Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) was developed in collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre science and knowledge service.
It marks “a milestone in the fight against organized crime and terrorism in Europe” according to the EU’s Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation.
Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) — a body of the Police Office of the EU focused on cybercrime committed by organized crime groups — is the entity that will operate this platform and will provide support and expertise to national Member State investigations.
“Today marks the end of a three-year-long journey,” Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said in a press release published earlier today.
“We have made a significant step forward in combating the criminal abuse of encryption with the aim of keeping our society and citizens safe while fully respecting fundamental rights.”
Even though today’s press release doesn’t provide any details on what the new decryption platform is all about, a Council of the European Union report [PDF] shades some light.
According to the report, Europol’s decryption platform includes both software and hardware tools that should help law enforcement agencies to decrypt information lawfully obtained during criminal investigations.
As explained in the report:
- Member States should invest in specialized hardware and software with adequate computational capacity and in staff adequately trained in order to ensure decryption also in complex cases of encrypted files and communications.
- Member States should ensure cooperation among all relevant stakeholders, including, where appropriate, with private companies, with a view to increasing the decryption abilities of the competent authorities.
- Member States should step up research and development with a view to developing new and more efficient decryption methods, and make use of Europol facilities, namely of the decryption platform European Cybercrime Centre (EC-3) for more sophisticated cases of encryption.
“In full respect of fundamental rights and without limiting or weakening encryption, this initiative will be available to national law enforcement authorities of all Member States to help keep societies and citizens safe and secure,” the Europol added.
The Council issued a non-legally binding resolution on Monday on “security through encryption and security despite encryption.”
The resolution underlined the Council’s support for “the development, implementation, and use of strong encryption as a necessary means of protecting fundamental rights and the digital security of citizens, governments, industry, and society.”
It also highlighted “the need to ensure that competent law enforcement and judicial authorities are able to exercise their legal powers, both online and offline, to protect our societies and citizens.”
“Potential technical solutions will need to respect privacy and fundamental rights, and preserve the value that technological progress brings to society,” the Council added.
