CEO of Vancouver-based Sky Global says he is being targeted for building tools protecting privacy theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Men linked to Canada-based company indicted in major US drug investigation
A federal grand jury in San Diego has indicted two men linked to a Canadian company on racketeering and drug charges over allegations they helped import and distribute narcotics around the world through the sale of encrypted communications devices.
The US Justice Department says the indictment alleges that devices from Canada-based Sky Global are designed to prevent law enforcement from monitoring the communications between members of transnational criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.
The indictment alleges that Sky Global installs sophisticated encryption software in cellphones that allow users to communicate with each other in a closed network through encrypted servers in Canada and France.
CEO of Encrypted Chat Platform Indicted for Aiding Organised Criminals
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Friday announced an indictment against Jean-Francois Eap, the CEO of encrypted messaging company Sky Global, and an associate for wilfully participating in a criminal enterprise to help international drug traffickers avoid law enforcement.
Eap (also known as 888888 ) and Thomas Herdman, a former high-level distributor of Sky Global devices, have been charged with a conspiracy to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), according to warrants issued for their arrests. The indictment alleges that Sky Global generated hundreds of millions of dollars providing a service that allowed criminal networks around the world to hide their international drug trafficking activity from law enforcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in the announcement. This groundbreaking investigation should send a serious message to companies who thi