BlackBerry Security Didn't Do El Chapo Any Favors Ana Campoy - Quartz
go to original January 16, 2016

End to End Secure Mobility with BlackBerry (BlackBerry)

That one of the world’s most elusive fugitives chose a BlackBerry could have been a huge endorsement for the battered Canadian cellphone company.

Except Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, once Mexico’s most-wanted criminal, was busted after his BlackBerry messages were obtained by the Mexican government. His BlackBerry conversations with Mexican actress Kate de Castillo, who helped organize an interview with US actor Sean Penn, were one of the many elements that led to his arrest, Mexico’s Secretario of the Interior, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, told Radio Fórmula.

...It’s unclear how Mexican authorities got the BlackBerry communications published by Milenio. They could have been leaked by one of the participants. BlackBerry could have shared the messages with law enforcement agents investigating El Chapo. Still, it doesn’t look good for the company. BlackBerry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

...BlackBerry has enjoyed a reputation of being highly secure, with several world leaders reportedly relying on the company’s devices. US president Barack Obama still uses one.

...The news that Blackberry messages could have played a part in El Chapo’s capture can’t be heartening for those who use the device to maximize privacy. These days there is simply no system that can entirely guarantee security for individuals like El Chapo, or anyone else, says Ken Dulaney, a mobile analyst at Gartner. “If I was a criminal I’d be nervous about all them,” he adds.

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