Washington, DC -FBI Executive Assistant Director Darrin E. Jones of the FBI's Science and Technology Branch issued the following statement in response to the announcement by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) about a child predator who pleaded guilty to committing sex abuse offenses using social media platforms.

The great work by our partners at the NCA on this recent case would likely not have been possible if this content was end-to-end encrypted. Make no mistake: This case is not an isolated incident. The FBI and many of our international partners see thousands of offenders utilizing social media platforms in the U.S. and worldwide to target and exploit children. We recognize the need for encryption, but there are technologies that will allow us to have security, privacy, and lawful access.