Ennetcom Explained

Ennetcom
Defunct:2016
Area Served:Worldwide
Key People:Danny Manupassa
Industry:Computer software

Ennetcom was a Netherlands based communications network and service provider.[1] [2]

Company

The company was based in the Netherlands as were most of its customers, but most of the company servers were based in Canada.[1] [2] Danny Manupassa, the company owner, was arrested in 2016 amid allegations that the phones were largely used by criminals.[1] [2] The company had about 19,000 users.[1] [2]

The phones sold for €1,500 each and used company servers for traffic.[1] [2] The devices had been altered so they could not make calls or use the Internet normally.[1] [2]

Canadian authorities seized the servers and passed messages to Dutch authorities.[3] The latter had managed to decrypt 3.6 million messages by 2017, apparently because the key to the messages had been stored on the same servers the messages were on.[3] These messages have led to arrests, including that of Naoufal Fassih.[3] Fassih has been convicted of one charge of murder and one of attempted murder in relation to the murder of Ali Motamed.[4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Dutch police shutter encrypted network over alleged organized crime ties. 22 April 2016. 15 June 2021. The Guardian. Reuters.
  2. News: Dutch police close Ennetcom encrypted communications network. Osborne. Charlie. 25 April 2016. 15 June 2021. ZDNet.
  3. The Cold War Bunker That Became Home to a Dark-Web Empire. Caesar. Ed. 27 July 2020. 15 June 2021. The New Yorker.
  4. News: The global links of the Kinahan organised crime gang. Cummins. Barry. 2021-10-14. 2021-10-15. Prime Time (Irish TV programme).