Possibly because the illicit drug trade is using and abusing software developers that got caught up in it and are then threatened with violence if they don't continue to operate encrypted phone and chat services? Or the scenario of substance dependence where a software developer can't afford to pay for their substance dependence and provides services instead. For the illicit drug trade, the software developers and everyone using the apps are most likely just disposable pawns. The big bosses would have done the sums and figured out that having their own apps and ICT systems increases their profits, in part because of the frustration and distraction to law enforcement.
The thing that caught my eye in particular is how little the illicit drug trade is seemingly spending on their ICT.[1] The whole scheme of providing 600-odd "burner phones" for use by the illicit drug trade seemingly had revenue of AUD$1.5m every 24 months (assumed replacement cycle for hardware) plus some unstated amount of recurring support/chat app license revenue. This unstated amount is likely quite small given the alleged application developer was charged with an offence for receiving proceeds of crime to an amount <AUD$100k. When taking away the $1.2m in expenses to purchase phone hardware every 24 months, that leaves some amount just over AUD$150k per year to customise off-the-shelf phones with additional security features useful to the illicit drug trade and to develop and maintain a custom encrypted chat app. From that AUD$150k per year one has to take away expenses such as purchasing computers and test phones before arriving at a profit/salary.
I struggle to think of a reason why someone would voluntarily work for the illicit drug trade whilst being remunerated so poorly versus a typical Sydney-based app developer?
Quite possibly the best thing that has happened to the application developer is getting arrested _and_ importantly, also being charged with failing to cooperate with police.
> The whole scheme of providing 600-odd "burner phones" for use by the illicit drug trade seemingly had revenue of AUD$1.5m every 24 months
In today's Australian News:
Police have dismantled a criminal network in Sydney they allege sold $1.8 billion worth of cocaine in four months
The gang, dubbed 'The Commission', was allegedly involved in the distribution of more than 1.2 tonnes of cocaine across Sydney over a four-month period, which police say equated to about 6 million separate drug deals.
I have no knowledge of the gang relationship to the software developer here, whether in fact that developer ahd a drug dependance or not, they may well have been the sort that enjoys anti-normal activity and got a kick from having a secret unsuspected life.
The appeal to a gang of an "independant" secure comm network under their watch is "knowing" (there's the rub though, how certain can you be) that it was "clean" of LEO monitoring unlike, say, recent "secure criminal comms" popular in Australia that were actually developed and sold by five eyes agencies to entrap criminals with.
The thing that caught my eye in particular is how little the illicit drug trade is seemingly spending on their ICT.[1] The whole scheme of providing 600-odd "burner phones" for use by the illicit drug trade seemingly had revenue of AUD$1.5m every 24 months (assumed replacement cycle for hardware) plus some unstated amount of recurring support/chat app license revenue. This unstated amount is likely quite small given the alleged application developer was charged with an offence for receiving proceeds of crime to an amount <AUD$100k. When taking away the $1.2m in expenses to purchase phone hardware every 24 months, that leaves some amount just over AUD$150k per year to customise off-the-shelf phones with additional security features useful to the illicit drug trade and to develop and maintain a custom encrypted chat app. From that AUD$150k per year one has to take away expenses such as purchasing computers and test phones before arriving at a profit/salary.
I struggle to think of a reason why someone would voluntarily work for the illicit drug trade whilst being remunerated so poorly versus a typical Sydney-based app developer?
Quite possibly the best thing that has happened to the application developer is getting arrested _and_ importantly, also being charged with failing to cooperate with police.
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41576253
edit: adjusted cost model after posting to assume phone replacement every 24 months.