Used to think encryption laws were overblown until my buddy got subpoenaed for a WhatsApp chat in Phoenix

I always figured the government had good reasons for wanting backdoors, but watching a friend fight a $4,000 legal bill just to prove he wasn't in a gang chat flipped my view. Has anyone else seen this play out in a small claims or traffic case where encryption actually protected someone from a false accusation?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanel1317d ago

@wesley139 it was pretty much a fishing expedition, the cops just grabbed everyone in a group chat after one guy got busted for something. Best advice I can give is tell your buddy to ask for a "motion to quash" the subpoena if there's zero evidence tying him to the crime, saved me $2k in a similar traffic stop mess a few years back.

angelac6316d ago

A motion to quash saved me a headache too. Cops love to cast a wide net and hope something sticks. Tell your buddy to push back hard if there's nothing linking him directly. Nine times out of ten they just back off when you force them to show their cards.

wesley13917d ago

Did the subpoena actually have any evidence linking him to the chat or was it basically a fishing expedition?

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