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[global times special correspondent liu haoran, global times special correspondent in australia da qiao] according to reports from the united press international (upi) and the british broadcasting corporation (bbc) and other media on the 18th, led by europol and the european union criminal justice cooperation agency, law enforcement agencies in multiple countries have recently uncovered a series of organized crimes conspired or carried out based on encrypted communication platforms, arrested a total of 51 people, and seized a large amount of drugs and stolen money. these illegal gangs secretly communicated through an encrypted application called "ghost". the illegal activities involved include money laundering, drug manufacturing, drug trafficking, violent activities and even murder. their criminal activities span europe, the middle east and many regions in asia. even more dramatic is that the mastermind behind the "ghost" platform is actually a hidden "two-faced man" who works for an ordinary housekeeping company in australia.

an international coalition of law enforcement representatives, including europol, held a press conference in the hague on september 18 to announce actions against "ghost" apps. source: french media

international cat and mouse game

"ghost" attracted the attention of the australian federal police (afp) as early as 2021. the bbc reported that rather than being a mobile app, it is more like a complete set of encryption service solutions. its platform has a triple encryption standard, and the true identity of users is difficult to verify. criminals do not need to provide any personal information when purchasing services, and the information sent can be completely cleared. through private servers spread all over the world, it is difficult for government departments to track the source of these communications. after its launch, "ghost" has been favored by gangs in many countries. its main user groups include criminal gangs in the middle east and eastern europe, gangs in south korea, and the italian mafia. the activities conspired by criminals on the platform involve arms sales, murder for hire, money laundering, and drug crimes.

according to reports, the afp successfully infiltrated the case in march this year, opening a breakthrough for solving the case. during the "lurking" period, investigators collected a total of 125,000 text messages and 120 video calls, and successfully prevented dozens of murders, extortion and violent activities. the bbc said that after investigation, the "ghost" server was located in france and other places, the "mastermind" of the platform was in australia, and a large amount of illegal assets were stored in the united states.

among the arrested suspects, the australian police arrested 38 people and destroyed a drug manufacturing den; the irish police arrested 11 people and seized cocaine worth about 15.2 million euros, in addition to more than 300,000 euros in cash and a large number of tools used in committing crimes. law enforcement operations in canada, italy and other countries also made some gains. according to europol, this joint law enforcement operation involved a total of 9 countries, which can be described as an international "cat and mouse game."

"double life"

on the 17th local time, the afp surrounded a house in the southwestern suburbs of sydney and dragged the founder of "ghost", 32-year-old korean-american zheng yunzhe (sound), into a police car. this sudden change shocked his family, and his 70-year-old father broke down and burst into tears in front of the media reporters. according to the australian "sydney morning herald", this korean immigrant family settled in australia 30 years ago and currently runs a housekeeping and cleaning company. their business has never touched the legal red line. according to his resume, zheng yunzhe used to work in sales and is currently the general manager of his own company. according to neighbors, this young man is quiet, has some "social phobia" and is still single. he is a "good son" in the eyes of his parents.

according to the australian broadcasting corporation, zheng yunzhe is actually a hidden computer expert who created "ghost" as early as the age of 23. he also established a strict sales system to sell applications and encryption services through a large number of distributors, and he only provided technical support. however, he has absolute say in whether new users can officially join the platform. according to police investigations, the price of a mobile phone with the "ghost" application installed is 2,345 australian dollars (about 11,000 yuan), with a 6-month software usage period. most of zheng yunzhe's illegal gains were exchanged for cryptocurrencies, and another luxury car was parked outside his parents' home. upi said that he is currently charged with multiple crimes such as assisting a criminal gang, and if convicted, he may be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

it has a ripple effect

with the technological iteration of smart electronic devices, illegal activities using encryption to carry out organized crime are becoming increasingly rampant. some media believe that the victory in the "ghost" law enforcement action is of great significance, and it has to some extent undermined the confidence of criminals in encryption platforms. however, due to the large variety of encrypted communication programs and their relatively small niche, some media believe that illegal activities around such platforms will be "active and scattered" in the future, which may cause considerable trouble to law enforcement agencies. some experts believe that such law enforcement actions have their own "ripple effect" and are likely to undermine mobile phone users' confidence in privacy and security.