Commissioner Reece Kershaw says an encrypted app used to crack down on organised crime was “legal” and led by the FBI with the AFP providing the “technical capability” to decrypt messages.
The police used the app called AN0M in Operation Ironside to carry out a record number of raids across Australia.
“First of all, it's legal and we did use the TOLA passed in 2018 for the first time," he said.
"So that's that legislation that we have here in Australia, in combination with the legal authority from the FBI.
“So there were legal authorities used in relation to this app”.
Criminals thought they were using an app created by criminals, for criminals, and Commissioner Kershaw said they were “very brazen” as a result.
"It would be like, I need 1,000 kilos at this price,” he said.
"No attempt to hide behind any sort of codified kind of conversation, it was there to be seen."
