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How The FBI Unmasked A WhatsApp And Whisper User In A Pedophile Sting
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The FBI uses fake profiles on various social media sites. It s one way in which they can target suspects using encrypted messaging apps.
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Despite showing frustration at being unable to break into secure messaging apps like WhatsApp, in some cases, police investigators actually want criminals to use them. In Guam earlier this year, one target of a pedophile sting was even encouraged to move onto WhatsApp so that police had a better chance of discovering his true identity.
It started in November 2020 with a fake profile on Whisper, a social networking app that encourages users to share secrets anonymously. The Storm Ocean account, which remains active and was created in a joint operation between the FBI and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), made one post, the text layered over the body of a young woman, fully clothed and sat on a bed, obscuring he