German police unable to decipher Skype’s encryption

Skype and other VoIP calling software is difficult to intercept because it works by breaking up voice data into small packets and switching it along thousands of router paths instead of a constant circuit between two parties, as with a traditional call.

Implementing traditional wiretaps is proving to be much more complex in the modern telecommunications sector for law-enforcement agencies and intelligence services. Skype allows users to make telephone calls over the internet from their computer to other Skype users free of charge.

Source telecommunication surveillance would be an advantage whereby agencies could get to the source before encryption, or after it has been decrypted.

Despite the sensitivity in Germany about police surveillance, there is a vital need for German law-enforcement agencies to have the ability to conduct online searches of computer hard drives of suspected terrorists. It is considered that online searches would need to be conducted only on rare occasions.

These searches are especially important in cases where the suspects are aware that their internet traffic and phone calls may be monitored and choose to store sensitive information directly on their hard drives without emailing it.