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Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

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Re: Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

#31

Post by quentindanjou »

gruez wrote: post #14
vrganj wrote: post #10

The horrible bastion of despotism that is China-run Hong Kong has now caught up to the rule of law utopias of enlightened thought in the US and UK.

>in the US and UK ??? Of all the issues with the US justice system, being compelled to disclose passwords isn't one of them. It is an issue for UK, though.

> Of all the issues with the US justice system, being compelled to disclose passwords isn't one of them.

This is not totally true. It is also a US issue: CBP has been asking for passwords (or to unlock the device) for phones and computers for more than a year now. Last year, multiple people got turned around because they disagreed with US policies and political views that differ from those of the US's current president.

Re: Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

#32

Post by hananova »

jonex wrote: post #21

Feature request: Make it default behavior on phones that you can have multiple passwords, connected to different profiles. With no way to determine how many profiles a phone have. I'm sure there's some people here working on mobile operating systems, might be worth considering?

"This profile doesn't have anything on it. Give us the password for the real profile."

Or even worse, you did give them the real password, but because your phone supports the feature and your profile is kind of barren, they don't believe you. Now you are in a very bad lose-lose situation.

Re: Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

#33

Post by roenxi »

andylynch wrote: post #8
tyho wrote: post #3

Wow, what a free society! In the UK if you refuse to unlock your device you can be imprisoned indefinitely! In HK it's just one year!

Why are you misrepresenting about UK law? Yes, it can be a criminal offence. But the maximum tariff for this under RIPA 2000 is five years. If it’s not about nation security or CSAM, it’s two. (Incidentally, the USA is a real outlier in this topic)

Are we damning the UK with faint praise now?

I'm not even sure how much practical difference there is between 5 and indefinite in practice, 5 years is a long time. I imagine it is pretty life-destroying. Especially for the crime of having something on your phone that you want to keep private.

> If it’s not about nation security or CSAM, it’s two.

I am sure we all get what you mean, but there is a comic interpretation in vaguely-Soviet style here where if someone hasn't done anything wrong they only get 2 years. I'm going to spend some time this weekend making sure my encryption is plausibly deniable where possible.

Re: Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

#34

Post by everdrive »

No one likes when I say this but it's really past time to stop doing anything interesting on your phone. Delete all your apps, set it as minimally as possible. Leave it home when you go for walks, and power it off when you go driving or to the store, or whatever.

Re: Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

#35

Post by ulfw »

kleiba wrote: post #23

It would be nice if phones had a feature where you can define more than one pin, but only one is for your actual phone contents - the other ones leave you to a completely harmless but otherwise indistinguishable looking smartphone interface that contains no or only completely bogus data.

My Oppo Find N6 allows multiple user accounts

Re: Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

#36

Post by ulfw »

gruez wrote: post #14
vrganj wrote: post #10

The horrible bastion of despotism that is China-run Hong Kong has now caught up to the rule of law utopias of enlightened thought in the US and UK.

>in the US and UK ??? Of all the issues with the US justice system, being compelled to disclose passwords isn't one of them. It is an issue for UK, though.

You have never crossed the border into the Great US of A then

Re: Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

#37

Post by dmitrygr »

kubb wrote: post #16
dmitrygr wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait till you hear about most of europe...

Roleplaying a parallel reallity where "Europe" is an oppressive totalitarian regime will never not be funny.

> Roleplaying a parallel reallity where "Europe" is an oppressive totalitarian regime will never not be funny.

Roleplaying inability to read will never not be funny

UK: https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/law-requiring-dis...

France: https://www.fairtrials.org/articles/news/french-court-rules-...

Ireland: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57468750

Re: Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

#38

Post by vrganj »

gruez wrote: post #14
vrganj wrote: post #10

The horrible bastion of despotism that is China-run Hong Kong has now caught up to the rule of law utopias of enlightened thought in the US and UK.

>in the US and UK ??? Of all the issues with the US justice system, being compelled to disclose passwords isn't one of them. It is an issue for UK, though.

I take it you haven't crossed the border recently?

Re: Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

#39

Post by pcdevils »

tyho wrote: post #3

Wow, what a free society! In the UK if you refuse to unlock your device you can be imprisoned indefinitely! In HK it's just one year!

The police must obtain appropriate permission from a judge to obtain a s.49 RIPA notice.

Before a judge grants the notice, they must be satisfied that:

The key to the protected information is in the possession of the person given notice. Disclosure is necessary in the interest of national security, in preventing or detecting crime or in the interests of the economic wellbeing of the UK. Disclosure is proportionate. If the protected information cannot be obtained by reasonable means.

Re: Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new security rules

#40

Post by vlovich123 »

netsharc wrote: post #15
embedding-shape wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're in a place called "Hacker" news, many of us hackers feel like we shouldn't be forced to unlock our private devices, not sure this is surprising.

[flagged]

Criticizing democracies with the policies of a police state is Nazi behavior? I’m lost. AFAIK Nazis are associated with those supporting authoritarian regimes not those criticizing the slide into authoritarianism. You even yourself put up a link about someone convicted who had to go through a long legal battle to get their freedom. The claim may have been overbroad in terms of the powers the state has, but they were off only in magnitude what RIPA2000 outlines as powers.
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