It’s unclear how investigators gained access to the messages, but encryption has been a point of tension between law enforcement and tech for years.
It's not clear how investigators gained access to the messages. Representatives for Signal, the Department of Justice, and Federal Bureau of Investigation did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment.
One possibility is that another recipient with access to the messages handed them over to investigators. The complaint references group messages run on the app, so it's possible another participant in those chats cooperated. Encryption has been a point of controversy between investigators and tech companies for years. While law enforcement worries that criminals will exploit encrypted technology to hide wrongdoing, tech companies likehave argued that it's an important tool for privacy. Law enforcers have in the past tried to get tech companies to open their devices to assist in investigating serious crimes, but companies like Apple argue that if they break encryption for U.S.
But some law enforcers have said newer security features on iPhone software now makes it harder for them to technically access those devices, even if they are able to obtain a warrant.
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