Why iMessages Aren't Always Private | Facial Recognition On Drones | A Vulnerable Clubhouse

Plus: Cybercrime Joker Retires With A Reported $2.1 Billion In Bitcoin

In a recurring feature in this newsletter, I'm publishing stories and court documents that paint a picture of what police surveillance looks like in the real world. I call it The Wire IRL.

In this week's edition: Apple iMessages. They're end-to-end encrypted, making them super secure. But if they're backed up to the iCloud, Apple can decrypt them. That means that if law enforcement comes knocking, Apple can hand those not-so-encrypted messages over to the police.

That's what happened when investigators called on Apple to provide iCloud account information on a handful of individuals they suspected of operating a narcotics shipping operation around Washington D.C., according to a search warrant unsealed this month. When the police got hold of their iMessages, they indicated the suspects were buying from dark web sites and crafting their own pills, according to the warrant. The warrant lists not just their conversations but pictures they were taking of the pills and sharing with one another.

Also in the iCloud accounts was an Apple Notes file appearing to list drug recipes, according to investigators. Stringer Bell's warning to an associate in The Wire comes to mind: don't take notes on a criminal conspiracy.

The suspects were arrested earlier this month and have not filed a plea. They remain innocent until proven guilty.

If you want to get a handle on how iClouds can provide hugely valuable data to police as they fight the war on drugs, take a look at the search warrant in full here.

You can also read my story on Forbes here.

And if you have any tips on government surveillance or cybercrime, drop me an email on tbrewster@forbes.com or message me on Signal at +447837496820.

The Big Story

The Stories You Have To Read Today

One of the world's biggest computer game creators, CD Projekt Red, was hacked and the cybercriminals tried to extort the company with a ransomware demand. But the Cyberpunk 2077 developer isn't playing ball.

Some seriously smart researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory found some security problems in Clubhouse, a social app that's become hugely popular in recent months, especially in China. Most notably, a user’s unique Clubhouse ID number and chatroom ID are transmitted in plaintext, leaving Clubhouse's millions of users open to snooping. Clubhouse is now reviewing its systems in response.

Two years ago, Bloomberg reported on an alleged hack of servers made by SuperMicro, claims that were widely disputed, especially by the chip maker. The same investigative team are back with an explosive new story with further claims of China's intelligence agencies meddling in America's supply chain, and an international coverup. But compromised microchips at the center of both stories have never been seen by independent researchers.

How far away are we from seeing drones with facial recognition? Not far, according to one Israeli company, AnyVision, which has filed a patent for providing the technology, despite its various controversies.

Winner Of The Week

North Korea has been hitting it big in Bitcoin, albeit illegally, according to researchers. This week, one North Korean hacker crew, the Lazarus Group, is now believed to have scored $1.75 billion in cryptocurrency thefts. It's also now been credited with the biggest cryptocurrency theft of 2020. Not a good winner, but a winner nonetheless.

Loser Of The Week

Another loss for facial recognition this week, even if it's a small one for the industry as a whole: Minneapolis police have banned use of the technology. That could be another hit for Clearview AI, which was reportedly available to the department and was last week declared illegal by Canadian privacy commissioners.