Source: BBC

In the wake of the terrible events in Paris, governments around the world have renewed their calls for tech companies to design products that will allow law enforcement agencies to better monitor communications.

How do Islamist militants communicate?

Image copyrightAP

Digital forensics expert witness Prof Peter Sommer says Islamic State (IS) militants would probably shun the high-profile communication companies.

“They are not using the big obvious systems at all,” he tells the BBC.

“There are lots of entrepreneurs who set up systems for libertarians to use and the terrorists quickly identify these.

“Systems such as SureSpot offers consumers an easy way to use encryption.”

Cybercrime consultant Prof Alan Woodward says the availability of encrypted systems makes the security agencies crackdown “absolutely pointless”.

“They are all now using the OTR [Off the Record] protocol, which offers end-to-end encryption,” he says.

“Even if you managed to stop companies providing OTR, there are plenty of free-add-ons available.

“On jihadi bulletin boards, there are links to online encryption tools that people can download.

“Any jihadi worth his salt to going to know to find a safe way to communicate.

“Most don’t tend to use iMessage or WhatsApp.”

So why are the law enforcement agencies so focused on how Apple and Google use encryption?

Image copyrightGetty Images

“The big tech firms are low-hanging fruit and it is a case of having to start somewhere,” says Prof Woodward.

“If you want to boil the ocean, you have to do it one cup at a time.”

There has been a degree of misinformation about how those behind the Paris attacks communicated with each other.

Former CIA deputy director Michael Morell reportedly said it was more than likely they had used WhatsApp, but there is no evidence they did.

Meanwhile, a comment from Belgian Federal Interior Minister Jan Jambon that they had used a PlayStation 4 to communicate was widely reported, but it later emerged suggestions the console had been found at the apartment of one of the attackers were false.

Read more