from Hacker News

Eric Adams Staffer Left FBI Interview to Delete Encrypted Chat Apps

by Algemarin on 9/28/24, 4:09 PM with 19 comments

• by ceejayoz on 9/28/24, 5:18 PM

  And Adams himself:

  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/09/26/eric...

  > On November 5, Adams surrendered that mobile phone – but there was a hitch.

  > “When Adams produced his personal cellphone the next day in response to a subpoena, it was 'locked,' such that the device required a password to open,” the indictment said. “Adams claimed that after he learned about the investigation into his conduct, he changed the password" that same day "and increased the complexity of his password from four digits to six.”

  > The mayor said he’d changed the password to prevent members of his staff from accidentally deleting anything.

  > “But, Adams further claimed, he had forgotten the password he had just set, and thus was unable to provide the FBI with a password that would unlock the phone,” the indictment says.

• by neaden on 9/28/24, 5:14 PM

  The most striking thing about all this is just how bad everyone on Adams staff and himself were at it. When I worked for a local government I was told all my communications could get FOIAd so to be careful about what I did and I wasn't even working on anything sensitive or illegal.

• by joemazerino on 9/28/24, 5:27 PM

  > This is all to say, if you find yourself in a situation where you need an impromptu bathroom break in the middle of an interrogation to delete messages, you’re already in deep shit.

  Hilarious.

• by OutOfHere on 9/28/24, 5:46 PM

  There is nothing wrong with deleting a chat. It is foolish to incriminate oneself by keeping unnecessary chats. Whether they should have been using a chat or not for government business is another matter.