” New Zealand police said that after the FBI had dismantled two other encryption services, it began operating its own encrypted device company called ANOM.
Devices with the chat app were distributed in the criminal underworld.
Australian police said the devices were initially used by alleged senior crime figures, giving other criminals the confidence to use the platform.
Fugitive Australian drug trafficker Hakan Ayik was key to the sting, having unwittingly recommended the app to criminal associates after being given a handset by undercover officers, they said.
"You had to know a criminal to get hold of one of these customised phones. The phones couldn't ring or email. You could only communicate with someone on the same platform," the police explained.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-57394831