Australian police using encrypted message app Signal at work
The internal documents use the encrypted messaging application signal to communicate with Australian Federal Police Personnel.
The agency says that it regularly examines the “limited number of communication practices” which is used by its staff to comply with official registration requirements.
E -mails between the staff, Crirase Through the demand for freedom of knowledge, show that they are discussing the use of a signal to coordinate the members of the AFP’s national media team to coordinate press strategies.
Signal is a popular, open -source encrypted messaging application used on phones and computers that allow users to automatically wash their messages after a certain period of time. Messaging applications such as signal use, technically only the sending and the receiver to read the content of the intervention of messaging applications such as end -to -end encryption to prevent intervention.
A group of high -ranking US national security personnel were pushed into headlines early this year Accidentally added a journalist to a signal conversationTo explain that they have changed their potentially record -retention laws to coordinate military strikes in Yemen.
Last year, Protector Australia reported Half of Australia’s law enforcement officers had forbidden the use of encrypted and self -erase messaging services such as signals. The AFP was not among the police forces that banned the signal, but did not confirm whether or not it was among the messaging applications approved for use.
Shortly after Fake terrorist Dural Caravan Land AFP Media personnel discovered in mid-January, according to the e-mails obtained, AFP’s at that time from the broker Reece Kershaw’s antisemitism coordinated to publish a statement about the status of the investigation of the special operation.
These E -mails show that AFP personnel talk about using signal to publish media statements and get approval to keep each other in a cycle.
On January 21, an anonymous AFP media officer sent E -POSTA to Renee Viellaris as AFP’s Media and Communication Manager to verify what they used signals to coordinate the broadcast.
“Hello rv, please see template antisemitism expression […] Confirm that you will clarify everything to publish by signal, ”E -Post.
The staff also sent another unnamed personnel with E -mail: “Please let Renee express to signal when they live on our website?” He said.
An AFP spokesman did not confirm the use of the signal for “operational reasons, but in a statement sent by E -mail, the approved communication practices were“ controlled and reviewed regularly ”.
Sözcü also said that AFP personnel should comply with legal and internal rules related to information management.
“If any official decision is made for messaging applications, a copy should be made to an official AFP system for registration,” he said.
AFP under Kershaw, standing earlier this year, warned about social media companies To adopt end -to -end encrypted technology for messaging applications Saying he helped criminals.
This argument echoed in this statement about antisemitism: “All investigation lines are open to investigations using anonymization technology, such as special encrypted communication devices to commit these crimes,” he said.
