Gardaí and national security services 'need legal power' to access encrypted online messaging services

This covers services such as Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Talk, Gmail, FaceTime and Teams.

Gardaí and national security services need legal power to access online messaging services and encrypted communications – such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger – a spying oversight judge has said.

In a report submitted to the Taoiseach, Mr Justice Tony O’Connor said there was “widespread evidence” of criminal organisations using encrypted communications on social media and messaging services to avoid detection.