London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 08, 2025

Royals and politicians among celebrities who used secret EncroChat app

Royals and politicians among celebrities who used secret EncroChat app

Royalty and politicians are among celebrities and wealthy business figures who used the SAME secret phone network smashed by police to track down 746 UK crime kingpins.

High-profile names were today linked to the known 60,000 users of EncroChat, with 10,000 in the UK alone.

The devices used for the secure messaging app – usually a modified Android handset – are not illegal and until weeks ago were available to buy online.

The EncroChat system was installed onto modified mobile phones and cost £1,500 to run for six months


But the network hack by European law enforcement teams, partnered with the UK’s National Crime Agency, saw the coded communications system smashed wide open.

Data was then passed to regional police forces who carried out waves of arrests in a drive codenamed Operation Venetic.

The breach by the NCA has prompted concern from legitimate users of the system over what information was uncovered and whether they could be visited by police.

Sources stressed EncroChat was not the exclusive domain of criminals, with the privacy it gave users an attraction for high-profile individuals.

EncroChat being compromised that provided data that led to raids across the UK, like this one in Oldham on Thursday


One told the MailOnline: ‘There is no doubt big names will have used this app and system.

‘The nature of the network means it is highly-desirable for those who want privacy, certainly not just criminals plotting wrongdoing.

'They will be wondering if any of their messages have gone before investigators looking for crooks.'

Deepak Vij, who is the Director of law firm ABV Solicitors, said celebrities would have been among EncroChat users due to the privacy it offered customers



A court report on a drug gang who used the phones was told last year the system had been ‘originally developed for celebrities’ worried their calls were not secure.

And French authorities admitted yesterday although the system was used by criminals, at least ten per cent were legitimate, innocent users.

Deepak Vij, who is the Director of law firm ABV Solicitors, told the MailOnline there was little doubt important people would have been EncroChat customers.

He said: ‘This technology was very useful to persons including royalty, politicians, high network individuals, and executives who did not want their sensitive communications or data to be discovered.

‘If it was just criminals that used these things, the devices would have been made illegal – they weren’t.

‘They were used for important people to have secure conversations without them falling into the wrong hands.

‘If you are someone from the media or a politician you have the justification for having one.

‘There are a vast number of people who have been curious and concerned by the NCA coming out saying what they have been doing.

‘EncroChat was a flagship company for secure communications around the world before this.’

The system works by customers paying up to £1,500 for six months use of the encrypted handset.

A feature of the device means there is a command which can quickly wipe everything on phone.

The huge international police operation yesterday saw a total of 746 arrests made across Europe.

More than two tonnes of drugs, several dozen guns and £54m in cash was seized in raids.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×