German Court Approves Use of FBI-Intercepted Encrypted Chats as Evidence

The Federal Court of Justice rules that data from the FBI's Anom operation can be used in German trials to combat organized crime.

The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) determined that encrypted chat data from the FBI's Anom operation is admissible in German courts for prosecuting serious crimes.
The FBI had covertly developed and distributed Anom devices to criminal networks, allowing authorities to monitor communications related to drug and weapons trafficking.
The court emphasized that the data, though obtained abroad, complies with German legal standards for evidence and does not violate fundamental rights.
The decision impacts numerous cases, with German authorities already identifying 1,000 Anom users and initiating over 280 investigations involving organized crime.
In the specific case reviewed, a man previously convicted of drug trafficking must face a retrial due to changes in cannabis laws, though the conviction itself remains upheld.