Skype baffles German police

Tapping a VoIP call is one thing, but take pity on the German police who are complaining they can't decipher Skype calls. "The encryption with Skype telephone software ... creates grave difficulties for us," Joerg Ziercke, president of Germany's Federal Police Office said at a press conference for security and law enforcement officials. "We can't decipher it. That's why we're talking about source telecommunication surveillance--that is, getting to the source before encryption or after it's been decrypted."

Ziercke was reported in several newspapers saying he was not asking Skype to divulge its encryption keys or leave "back doors open"

"There are no discussions with Skype. I don't think that would help," he told reporters. Ziercke said there was a vital need for German law enforcement agencies to be able to search hard drives of suspected terrorists using "Trojan horse" spyware. Spyware searches are illegal in Germany.

More Reports:
- Skype encryption stumps police New Zealand Herald Report
- Wired Report

Related article:
- VoIP encryption comes to Borderware Report