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Man jailed over computer password refusal

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Man jailed over computer password refusal

#11

Post by kiba »

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #2

Just thought of a feature idea for TrueCrypt and other similar packages: encrypted files or partitions can have multiple passwords, which reveal different things. So you could have a password that reveals something embarrassing but not incriminating. If the police or border nazis threaten you with prosecution unless you reveal your password, you give them this one. Meanwhile, you hide anything really confidential beh…

The police will just beat you up until the secret come out. They're not going to say "Drats! Our evil plans are foiled!"

http://xkcd.com/538/

Re: Man jailed over computer password refusal

#14

Post by [deleted] »

squidbot wrote: post #9

It occurs to me that since this part of a child pornography investigation, 16 weeks in jail for not giving them a password might actually be a far lighter sentence than if the key was provided and illicit material was found. I don't condone the porn, but it does seem like a logical trade-off.

[deleted]

Re: Man jailed over computer password refusal

#15

Post by BillGoatse »

squidbot wrote: post #9

It occurs to me that since this part of a child pornography investigation, 16 weeks in jail for not giving them a password might actually be a far lighter sentence than if the key was provided and illicit material was found. I don't condone the porn, but it does seem like a logical trade-off.

Wait until they ask him again, 16 weeks from now...

Re: Man jailed over computer password refusal

#16

Post by jason_slack »

Can anyone explain how TrueCrypt works for OS X? Could I have my entire home directory on the hidden partition? What about their hidden operating system feature? So I can have my normal OS as the decoy OS and then have a hidden Linux OS (as example) that I use for sys adm type stuff and boot to it when I need to? Can VMWare or Parallels see this partition and create a VM based on it?

Re: Man jailed over computer password refusal

#17

Post by ck2 »

In the USA can you be compelled to testify against yourself by being coerced into giving a password to law enforcement?

Has this been tested yet, out of curiosity?

I remember reading they can deny you entry/exit to the USA if customs can't read your laptop but never heard anything like local/FBI.

If not, I hope it doesn't go before this particular supreme court.

Re: Man jailed over computer password refusal

#18

Post by camiller »

kiba wrote: post #11
ryanwaggoner wrote: post #2

Just thought of a feature idea for TrueCrypt and other similar packages: encrypted files or partitions can have multiple passwords, which reveal different things. So you could have a password that reveals something embarrassing but not incriminating. If the police or border nazis threaten you with prosecution unless you reveal your password, you give them this one. Meanwhile, you hide anything really confidential beh…

The police will just beat you up until the secret come out. They're not going to say "Drats! Our evil plans are foiled!" http://xkcd.com/538/

nah, the police can't torture you for your password. Only the evil criminals can do that. The courts can incarcerate you for not revealing a password, it's is up to you the criminal to decide if the punishment for not revealing the password is more/less severe than the punishment for whatever crime your hiding the evidence of with the password.

Edit: OK now I have found evidence to prove myself wrong. At some point in the past I though I had read of a court case where a judge ruled that a defendant had to reveal a password. But a more recent case says otherwise: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2008-02-07-encr...

Re: Man jailed over computer password refusal

#19

Post by dc2k08 »

BillGoatse wrote: post #15
squidbot wrote: post #9

It occurs to me that since this part of a child pornography investigation, 16 weeks in jail for not giving them a password might actually be a far lighter sentence than if the key was provided and illicit material was found. I don't condone the porn, but it does seem like a logical trade-off.

Wait until they ask him again, 16 weeks from now...

Can you be tried for the same crime twice?
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