Would the police forensic computer analysts be able to find anything on these encrypted accounts? Do they have ways? I'm guessing probably not....as they are safe, secure and encrypted for a reason.
I'm not an expert (at all) but with extreme difficulty, I would think. This is the sort of technology associated with organised crime, terrorist activity, paedophile rings etc, but also lots and lots of privacy-aware end users who just don't want their data tracked, commodified and monetised. To be clear, I'm not for a moment suggesting Richard was up to anything he shouldn't have been. But if he was using that level of encryption just because he could, and knew how, then the Met will be needing to access the expertise of MI5 or the CIA to have a hope of reading anything imho, unless he was careless with cookies or similar.
My kids do all this sort of thing. I suppose I've encouraged them to be wary about privacy and data mining - for good reason, it turns out, whenever you read about, say, Cambridge Analytica or similar. They strip their laptops of all the preinstalled MS software and use Linux, access the internet via VPN servers, delete all their cookies regularly, use end-to-end encrypted email etc. It's ridiculous because GCHQ or whoever has zero interest in reading their teenage ramblings, and also because, actually, they're inconsistent, because they're kids. So they'll do all this and then use an app that tells them what stars are in the night sky immediately above their heads. Uh, guys, GCHQ knows
exactly where you are now... <facepalm>
So even if Richard indulged in all this kind of thing, which is deeply appealing to intelligent, techy kids, who are just learning how to balance convenience and connectivity with privacy and control, it's perfectly possible that he was careless or inconsistent such that LE can find a way in to get some answers about what was going on in his life and in his head. Let's hope, anyway.
jmo
