Canadian encrypted phones, a mass hack, and 10 thousand arrests

Front Burner

More than 10,000 arrests, a mountain of drugs stopped at the border, and more than a hundred assassination attempts thwarted. Those are just some of the results of a massive police data hacking operation in Europe to disrupt organized crime. And at the center of it all – Vancouver tech company Sky Global – that promised communication couldn’t be hacked by their encrypted phones.

Frédéric Zalac, and Radio-Canada’s investigative program Enquête teamed up with journalists from a dozen European media organizations for the year-long investigation.

The documentary aired on The Fifth Estate as “Cracked: Crimes Behind Encryption.” You can watch it on YouTube.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts