Could it be that the contents you thought are encrypted on your phone can be deciphered by the police or some other law enforcement agencies? That seems to be the case, as a new report shows just how little an effect device encryption has had on law enforcement efforts. There are notifications that device encryption keeps law enforcement authorities out of seized phones in some countries.
That is a worrying situation. But more of a worry is the fact encryption is not much of a barrier because law enforcement technology allows investigators to access everything behind the encrypted wall before authorities trim the information down to what is required in warrant affidavits.
There are so many seized devices with law enforcement agencies in all countries of the world. In the United States, for example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confessed to having a massive number of seized devices that they could even account for because the bureau has not updated its spreadsheet.
On the other hand, law enforcement officers also claim that there are some devices that can’t be broken into just like that. One agent claimed that ‘warrant-proof encryption, used in Apple iPhone prevents law enforcement agents access to crucial evidence. Meanwhile, an organization found that even in this case, agents copied all data found on a phone through the use of forensic tools. The tools would also be used to sort the data found so that the law enforcement agents can easily search through it.
One tool used, called Cellebrite, which appears to be very sophisticated, is able to compare a facial image, such as one from a police database, to any of the faces found on a mobile phone. There are other sophisticated tools used to clarify or classify text conversations by topics, such as drugs, money, or family.
These law enforcement agents are having access to tools that can crack new smartphones or gadgets with the hope of fetching any information that they want. Most governments in the world are ready to make funds available so that encryption would no longer be an issue to law enforcement agents.
