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A joint investigation team comprising French and Dutch authorities, with the assistance of Eurojust and Europol, has successfully taken down an encrypted messaging app called Matrix.
Over three months, authorities intercepted and monitored messages from suspected criminals, which will now serve as evidence in ongoing investigations. Subsequent operations were then carried out in coordination with Italian, Lithuanian, and Spanish counterparts.
🔓 Another encrypted platform cracked
Authorities strike again, taking down MATRIX—an encrypted messaging service made by criminals for criminals.
Over 2.3M messages intercepted in a 🇫🇷 🇳🇱 🇪🇸 🇱🇹 🇮🇹 operation supported by Europolhttps://t.co/EreoTN2RzD pic.twitter.com/dSqxiPSz63
— Europol (@Europol) December 3, 2024
What is the Matrix chat app?
Matrix, a messaging platform described as “made by criminals for criminals,” was first uncovered by Dutch authorities on the phone of a convict involved in the 2021 murder of a Dutch journalist. Peter de Vries had been investigating the Moroccan mafia at the time. The discovery prompted a large-scale probe into the service.
Authorities reportedly intercepted and analyzed over 2.3 million encrypted messages in 33 languages, giving unprecedented insights into criminal operations. The messages were linked to serious offenses, including international drug and arms trafficking, as well as money laundering, pointing out the platform’s role in facilitating illicit activities.
The operation culminated in coordinated raids across four countries, resulting in the shutdown of 40 servers located in France and Germany and the arrest of five suspects in Spain and France. Among those detained was a 52-year-old Lithuanian man believed to be the primary operator of Matrix. Authorities also confiscated €145,000 ($152,000) in cash, €500,000 ($525,000) in cryptocurrency, over 970 encrypted phones, and several vehicles.
Europol described the app as significantly more sophisticated than other criminal chat platforms. It worked on an invitation-only basis, had robust end-to-end encryption, and required users to pay a subscription fee ranging from €1,300 to €1,600 ($1,400 to $1,700) for a six-month membership.
In a statement, the agencies said, “It was soon clear that the infrastructure of this platform was technically more complex than previous platforms such as Sky ECC and EncroChat.
“The founders were convinced that the service was superior and more secure than previous applications used by criminals.”
It’s not the first time messaging apps have been accused of allowing illicit activities to take place. In September, ReadWrite reported that Telegram was under investigation once again for facilitating criminal activity on its messaging platform.
Featured image: Ideogram
