
Law Report High Court lets police access evidence from encrypted app used in global raids
Oct 14, 2025
Associate Professor Rebecca Ananian-Welsh, an expert in national security law, dives into the High Court's landmark ruling permitting police access to evidence from the Anom encrypted app. She reveals the app's unique features designed for criminals and the FBI's role in its development. The discussion highlights the implications for surveillance laws in Australia, including privacy concerns and questions around the outdated Telecommunications Act. Ananian-Welsh calls for stronger judicial oversight amid growing powers for law enforcement.
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FBI-Built Encrypted App Ruse
- The FBI secretly backed an encrypted-device startup and rolled out the app with built-in backdoors.
- A tech developer who feared prosecution cooperated with the FBI and stayed as the public face while law enforcement controlled the service.
Messages Were BCC'd To Police
- Every message sent on Anom was automatically copied to police servers so law enforcement could read them in real time.
- The app behaved like a messaging service but BCC'd law enforcement on each communication.
Global Sting Led To Mass Raids
- From 2018–2021 the app infiltrated organised crime worldwide using influencers and premium devices.
- On 7 June 2021 simultaneous raids (Operation Ironside/Trojan Shield) used that intelligence for hundreds of arrests globally.
