Spanish police have obtained information from encrypted services Wire and Proton as part of an investigation into individuals involved in the pro-independence movement in Catalonia. The police requested identifying information from the two Swiss-based companies, and both Wire and Proton complied with the requests. Wire provided the email address used to register the account, which was a Protonmail address. Proton then provided the recovery email for that Protonmail account, which was an iCloud email address. The Spanish police then requested information from Apple, which provided a full name, two home addresses, and a linked Gmail account.
It is important to note that the alleged full name of the activist involved has not been revealed, as it is unclear if they are truly responsible for the activities or if they have committed any crimes. Encrypted online services typically encrypt user data with keys that only the user has access to, preventing companies from handing over user data subject to a court order. However, police can request metadata from these companies, such as identifiable information about users.
Representatives from Wire and Proton confirmed that they received legal requests from the Swiss police and complied with them. Wire stated that they provided basic account information but cannot see or disclose the content of any data transmitted over their service. Proton emphasized that they have minimal user information and that it was data obtained from Apple that allegedly helped identify the terrorism suspect.
The case involving Wire, Proton, and Apple is related to an investigation into a pseudonymous member of the Catalan pro-independence movement called Tsunami Democratic. Spanish authorities believe this individual was helping plan actions or demonstrations during a visit by King Felipe VI to the region in 2020. In Wire chats, the activist referred to as Xuxu Rondinaire discussed potential security protocols for a public figure, clearly referring to King Felipe VI.
It’s worth noting that this case involving Xuxu Rondinaire has been previously reported by Spanish and Catalan media. There are claims that Xuxu Rondinaire is an officer of the Catalan police Mossos d’Esquadra, but the police have stated that they have no information about the case and referred questions to the Guardia Civil and the relevant Spanish court.
TechCrunch attempted to reach out to Xuxu Rondinaire via Wire, Protonmail, and iCloud email addresses, as well as a phone number provided by Apple. However, there was no response. When TechCrunch contacted the phone number and asked if the user was the person identified in the court documents, they denied it and threatened to report the message as spam.