A US federal judge recently cleared three men of terrorism charges in part because they planned their acts over encrypted chat. The judge said in his decision that “in many respects [these chats are] no different than thinking the thought to yourself.”
This dubious judicial understand of technology is unlikely to stand for long, but I found the fact it exists at all quite fascinating. The Attorney General is of course “[exploring] all options for reconsideration of the charge moving forward.”
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/03/29/gretchen-whitmer-plot-threat-paul-bellar-joseph-morrison-pete-musico/7044920002/