Europol Chief Catherine De Bolle is determined to secure greater cooperation from major technology companies in matters of encryption and law enforcement. She warns that a refusal to collaborate on this front could pose a threat to European democracy.
This week, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, De Bolle will meet with representatives of leading tech giants. She asserts that these companies bear a “social responsibility” to grant police access to encrypted communications used by criminals operating under the veil of anonymity.
“Anonymity is not a fundamental right,” stated the Executive Director of the EU’s law enforcement agency. She likened the issue to a police search warrant: a situation where authorities are unable to enter a locked house despite possessing a warrant and knowledge of a criminal inside is unacceptable for society. In the digital realm, she argues, law enforcement requires the ability to decrypt messages to combat crime effectively. “Without this, upholding democratic principles will be impossible,” she added.
However, Europol’s stance has drawn sharp criticism from digital rights advocates. They contend that anonymity is a cornerstone of freedom of expression, as affirmed by high court rulings. Technical experts caution that creating “backdoors” in encryption systems could lead to a black market for truly secure applications exploited by criminals, while ordinary citizens would remain vulnerable to potential surveillance.
The long-standing standoff between tech companies and law enforcement revolves around the use of end-to-end encryption in messaging apps, which hampers the collection of evidence in investigations. Last April, European police chiefs urged governments and the tech industry to take urgent action.
Apple, Meta (the parent company of WhatsApp), and Signal have consistently rejected legal pressure to weaken their encryption systems, arguing that such measures would jeopardize user privacy and security. While Apple initially explored enhanced cooperation with law enforcement to combat online crimes, these initiatives were abandoned due to privacy advocates’ protests.
Some EU member states, including Germany, remain skeptical about expanding law enforcement’s access to personal messages, delaying legislation aimed at combating child sexual abuse.
Under De Bolle’s leadership, Europol, which assists member states in tackling serious crimes like terrorism, drug trafficking, and fraud, has doubled its workforce to 1,700 employees. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced plans for further expansion and strengthening of the agency’s mandate.
Last year, Europol demonstrated its effectiveness by participating in the takedown of the ransomware group LockBit. The agency also played a pivotal role in combating drug trafficking by decrypting communications from criminal platforms such as EncroChat and Sky ECC, leading to thousands of arrests. In Belgium, over 100 individuals were convicted in the largest criminal trial based on evidence from Sky ECC’s decrypted messages. According to De Bolle, many more cases linked to these platforms remain under investigation.
In March, Europol will publish a four-year assessment of serious organized crime threats within the EU, including insights into external interference. De Bolle also advocates for expanding the use of artificial intelligence in investigations and addressing emerging “hybrid threats.”
