A joint investigation group of European law enforcement authorities has exposed the encrypted communications platforms Matrix (MTX, Mactrix, TotalSec, X-Quantum, Q-Safe) in a coordinated “Operation Passionflower”. According to a joint press release from European police authorities, the platform was shut down on December 3, 2024.
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MATRIX was supposed to be the successor to ANOM, Sky ECC and EncroChat. Despite the similar name, the Matrix Platform has nothing to do with the Matrix Foundation and the Matrix Protocol, as the Dutch police also emphasize.
“The technical infrastructure was more complex than that of its predecessors Sky and Encro,” Stan Duijf explainsHead of the operations department of the Dutch National Criminal Police. Operators were confident that users could communicate safely from police surveillance. But according to their own information, investigators were actually able to read more than 2.3 million messages in 33 languages.
In July 2021, Dutch journalist Peter R. They traced the providers of the fraudulent service after seizing a smartphone running on the Matrix platform in the getaway car following the 2021 assassination attempt on De Vries.
European authorities crackdown on crypto communications platform for criminalsInternational operations in multiple countries
According to police in Marseille, Spain, coordinated operations led to the arrest of two people – the alleged owner and operator, a 52-year-old Lithuanian, and a 30-year-old Dutchman. The latter is also suspected of international cocaine trafficking in 2020.
Authorities seized 145,000 euros in cash, half a million euros worth of cryptocurrency, four vehicles and more than 970 phones. In addition, real estate worth approximately 15 million euros was confiscated.
The MATRIX platform was introduced under various names and was primarily installed on Google Pixel smartphones. A device with a six-month subscription costs between 1,300 and 1,600 euros. New users require an invitation.
The infrastructure consisted of more than 40 servers in several countries, with the main servers located in France and Germany. In addition to encrypted communications, the platform also offers video calls, transaction tracking, and anonymous internet browsing.
investigation is ongoing
In June 2024, an operational task force was established with investigators from the Netherlands, France, Lithuania, Italy and Spain. This will also assist in future investigations based on intercepted messages.
Officials insist that successful joint operation This shows how important international cooperation is in the fight against organized crime. The three-year secret cooperation between different countries was unique. Users of the platform who may rely on a legal right to refuse to testify, such as lawyers or doctors, can contact authorities to have their data removed.
(Mac)
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