@tokyojapannow: Japanese police could soon gain the power to secretly access a suspect's smartphone without ever physically touching it. On October 16, Japan's cabinet approved a bill allowing investigators to remotely enter devices and read messages inside encrypted applications, including communications designed to disappear automatically. The proposal targets tokuryu, loosely organized criminal networks that recruit people online for robberies and fraud. Police say traditional wiretapping struggles against encrypted platforms such as Signal and Telegram because relevant messages may not be available from service providers. Under the bill, investigators would need a judge's warrant for crimes considered sufficiently serious, including robbery and fraud. Remote access would be conducted only by personnel selected by the National Police Agency commissioner. Suspects would not receive advance notice, and their phones would not need to be seized. The proposal also requires unrelated data to be discarded, although the described safeguards leave oversight questions. The bill is before the Diet, with implementation sought within approximately six months. Should police be allowed to secretly access encrypted smartphones with judicial approval, or does that power go too far?

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Wednesday 28 October 2026 04:41:40 GMT