July 5, 2024 at 04:35AM
Europol seeks lawmakers’ help to address SMS home routing hampering criminal investigations. Home routing allows customers to use their network in other countries, but Europol argues it enables privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) and impedes law enforcement’s access to crucial evidence. Europol suggests banning PETs in home routing as a solution to retain investigatory powers.
Based on the meeting notes, the top Eurocops are seeking help from lawmakers to address the challenges presented by privacy-enhancing technology (PET) used in SMS home routing. Europol has highlighted concerns that PETs in home routing setups hinder law enforcement’s ability to access crucial evidence during criminal investigations, particularly when suspects are using roaming services.
One key issue is the service-level encryption used in home routing by network operators, which prevents foreign law enforcement agencies from accessing unencrypted data of suspects using SIM cards from other countries. This becomes a significant challenge for cross-border criminal investigations, as it limits the ability of law enforcement to intercept communications and gather evidence.
Europol has proposed two possible solutions, with a clear preference for a legal ban on PETs in home routing. The first solution would involve removing the additional encryption layer in home routing, maintaining the same level of communication encryption as in the suspect’s home country. This option is technically feasible and aims to ensure equal security and privacy for local and roaming users.
The second solution, while presented as an alternative, comes with various drawbacks, including concerns about operational perspectives and the lack of an established method for sharing and interpreting requested data by law enforcement authorities.
Overall, Europol’s position paper calls for a societal response to address the technical, operational, privacy, and policy aspects of the issue, emphasizing the need to find a solution that allows lawful interception of communications while balancing secure communications and privacy.
The key takeaway from the meeting notes is that Europol is urging lawmakers to consider measures that would enable effective access to crucial evidence while respecting privacy and security concerns in the context of cross-border criminal investigations.