Encrypted services Apple, Proton and Wire helped Spanish police identify activist

TechCrunch reports that Spanish police, through Swiss authorities, obtained basic account metadata from Wire and Proton and then additional subscriber information from Apple to help identify a pseudonymous activist tied to Catalonia’s pro-independence movement. The companies confirmed compliance with lawful requests, emphasizing they could not access message content, and Proton noted the user’s optional iCloud recovery email enabled linkage. The report highlights how metadata and account recovery settings can reveal identities despite end-to-end encryption, with no indication of a data breach or malware activity.