The FBI ran a cell phone company for criminals

Here's the written transcript for those who prefer to read rather than listen:

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1197959218

I don't know if it's just me but buying any sort of "secure phone" from some kind of random no-name company doesn't really feel like I'd be buying a secure phone, regardless of the flowery promises you think you can give me in the marketplace.

Every single one I've come across has had so many red flags I thought I'd walked back into the Soviet Union.

So... the FBI threatened and coerced the CEO of the telco company to spy on all of the phone company's users illegally. Seems pretty similar to what they tried to do to the Qwest Chairman and CEO Joseph P. Nacchio. But he refused and they put him in prison for years on trumped up inside trading charges initiated by the FBI intentionally having the government drop Qwest contracts and accusing Nacchio of knowing about it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Nacchio

The FBI isn't completely just a bunch of unethical criminals but the bad apples do seem more common than the good ones. In this article/transcript they even admit to commiting securities fraud themselves.

Reminds me that secret messenger for criminals. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trojan_Shield

Edit: Nevermind, it’s the subj.

I find it hard to believe that the FBI really did all they could to prevent serious crime that they caught on the phones. Doing so would most likely cause criminals to suspect the phone right away.

So what's the ANOM now? Is it Signal? Or Telegram?

The FBI could use this even for people who are not criminals.

Imagine if protonmail turned out to be a NSA project!