Spinning Operation Ironside: how the AFP wanted the world to see its role in a global crime sting

The AFP commissioner’s decision to play up his agency’s role in the encrypted ANOM app used for a worldwide crime sting went against the police’s planned messaging, internal police documents show.

On June 8, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews and Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw fronted up at a press conference to announce Operation Ironside, a sophisticated transnational operation that led to hundreds of arrests. 

During the press conference, Kershaw talked up the AFP’s role in the operation but in response to two questions about whether it had created the app as reported in the media, he deflected. 

The AFP later confirmed that Australian police were brought in after the app was created, and provided capacity to decrypt messages sent through it. 

But preparation materials for press conference obtained under freedom of information laws reveal that the AFP had planned to be upfront about its smaller role — despite Kershaw’s reluctance to say as much when the lights were on.

In addition to media releases and ancillary documents released to the media, an “if asked” document for Operation Ironside reveals more information about the sting, as well as lines of inquiry the police hoped to spin.

The documents paint a picture of the thin line police are trying to walk when spinning Australia’s expansive police powers: that they’re both powerful and proportionate, world-leading yet in need of more; that AFP members are just ordinary, humble Australians who are also technically brilliant and smarter than savvy criminals. 

A core part of the story the police told — and media outlets lapped up — was that the scheme was dreamed up over a beer. 

But while it may have had humble beginnings, police took efforts to stress that the app was technically sophisticated and complex. The documents extol how the AFP’s 14-year-old digital surveillance program is one of the most established in the world. They even cited using machine learning to scan messages. 

As previously reported, Kershaw went to lengths to mention the use of Australia’s controversial anti-encryption legislation. The communications strategy reflects that: “The AFP has used a range of legislative provisions, including under the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act to facilitate Operation Ironside.” (How the TOLA Act was used remains a mystery, even after obtaining these documents.)

Incredibly, the AFP claims its contribution to developing the ANOM application was primarily a team of three specialists (or “techsperts”, as the documents repeatedly refer to them). Of the 12,000 users previously reported to have used the app, police documents state 1659 were in Australia.  

The AFP also prepared an answer in case someone asked why the police dropped (gave an officially sanctioned release of information to a media outlet) the story to the Herald Sun. It claimed there was an “operation benefit” but declined to comment further, citing a need to protect how police do their job. 

As for whether Australia is winning or losing the war on drugs? Well even in the AFP’s preparation for this specific question, the question was dodged. 

AFP Operation Ironside docu… by Cameron Wilson