Exclu was an encrypted messaging app that was shut down after a series of international raids in February 2023.
Service
Exclu offered licences for three or six months, for €500 and €900 respectively.
History
In 2019 German police raided CyberBunker, which led to them obtaining data needed to decrypt the Exclu services.[ Data was shared with other police forces.][
On 3 February 2023 simultaneous raids took place on properties in ]Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
.[ 48 people were arrested, including administrators, developers and users of Exclu.][
Dutch police said that arrests were based on two distinct operations.][ The first, called 26Sambar, started in September 2020 and targeted owners and managers of Exclu.][ They were suspected of facilitating criminals.][ The second, called 26Lytham, began in late April 2022.][ This specifically targeted users suspected of being involved in organised crime.][
In February 2023 German police announced that George Mitchell was one of five major suspects behind the network.]
References
{{reflist
Anonymity networks
Cyberspace
Dark web
Defunct darknet markets
Distributed computing architecture
Law enforcement operations
Organized crime in Europe
2023 disestablishments