(C) Alec Muffett's DropSafe blog.
Author Name: Alec Muffett
This story was originally published on allecmuffett.com. [1]
License: CC-BY-SA 3.0.[2]


A primer on how End-to-End Encryption IS NOT PREVENTING policing, arrest, or conviction of the rioters in the UK race riots (HT @shashj @DmitryOpines @AntiRacismDay @arusbridger)

2024-08-05 09:26:36+00:00

Just in case some anti-encryption, anti-privacy types decide that this is an opportunity to complain about end-to-end encryption, my name is Alec and I am a expert on these topics, and here are several ways that end-to-end encryption (E2EE) does not stand in the way of prosecution of the rioters.

I may add more examples, later, but this is a great start.

1: Device Metadata Is Not E2EE

Your phone is essentially broadcasting a digital fingerprint of who you are (summed over all the locations where you have connected to WiFi, apart from your IMEI, IMSI, Bluetooth, and other identifiers) and none of them are encrypted

Relishing the moment in which a lot of people are going to learn about phone location data and how it works. https://t.co/Ip37B8fYds — Shashank Joshi (@shashj) August 4, 2024

2. Open Subscription Groups + WhatsApp “Channels” Are Not E2EE

UPDATE/ERRATA: These appear to be either screenshots of a WhatsApp “Channel” – a new/ish feature of WhatApp which is not designed for, and does not implement, encrypted content, as described in the feature page; OR they are open access WhatsApp group channels in which case subscriber phone numbers will be available to all members of the chat and anyone who accesses it; OR they are screenshots of a Telegram channel which is most probably unencrypted, because end-to-end encryption is actually a niche feature on Telegram, despite what their marketing materials may say.

None of these situations is good for “operational security” that they seek.

BREAKING: screenshots of far right group chats reveal fascists using N word and P word, and talk of hanging Yvette Cooper.



These are the fascist thugs who have been rioting in the last week. Join us to build a movement to oppose them on the streets and stop them pic.twitter.com/bzQrox99iA — Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) August 4, 2024

3. The Rioters Are Literally Checking-In To Riot Locations On Facebook

If you want to commit a criminal conspiracy, don’t take notes:

Are they… checking themselves in on Facebook as doing crimes? pic.twitter.com/aKjrUqxPeA — Dmitry Grozoubinski (@DmitryOpines) August 5, 2024

4. Metadata Fanout

Whilst I am here I should also probably point everyone to this old but still important video from YouTube a few years ago, explaining how WhatsApp uses linkage and fanout of device metadata in order to prevent spam and track down abuse without compromising message privacy; doubtless the same will be brought to bear on this situation.

5. There Is So Much Social Media Content

The prime minister (amongst others) appears to point his finger of blame (at least partially) at social media platforms, rather than the state of society after 14 years of Conservative government, as being the motivating factor behind the riots.

This is regrettable, not least because the same social media provides a wealth of evidence.

If social media is innately evil then it also contains the seeds of its own undoing:
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[1] URL: https://alecmuffett.com/article/110164
[2] URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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