Tyranny of the government: UK Government to force handover of encryption keys

[Richard]

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39269746,00.htm

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Since when is not giving something to the authorities a criminal act?  Why are people bending over and taking it?

For those that want to avoid this problem, TrueCrypt offers complete and utter plausable deniability.  It can hide a secret encrypted volume inside an encrypted volume with no possibility of it being detected.  In your first enclosure, you supply the password to the government.  This contains some regular files and junk.  The second volume is INSIDE the encrypted volume, hidden, not visible ever unless you know the right password.  However, it can't be proven that it exists.  Plausable deniability.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Blair is destroying the Labor party.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Not even news here. No one cares. If you want to go into another hissy fit Richard, the Treasury is currently raiding bank accounts and so on that have been inactive for decades. A lot of money is some of them apparently.

And c.300,000 people from Poland have moved here over the past few years.

[David S]

RIP seems like an appropriate name. Individual rights, Rest In Peace.

The Brits should be upset about it. If they aren't it just shows that they're ready for 1984.

That kind of thing may well be going on here without our knowlege, but I think Americans would be pissed if it was.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

RIP seems like an appropriate name. Individual rights, Rest In Peace.

What individual rights are affected here? The right to look at child porn? To commit fraud?
The legislation passed a bit too long ago for a self-righteous hissy fit, btw.

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Why? Not only is no one upset, but no one actually cares. Not heard any mention of this in the media for one thing.

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Ever actually read 1984?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

There is no such thing as the Labor Party.

[Richard]

Al go and change your tampon.  Why are you defending this?  Who says that people that encrypt their data are storing illegal information?  Can I not just encrypt my business strategies and marketing strategies?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Al go and change your tampon.

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Because I don't like paying higher taxes as a result of fraud/tax evasion, because I don't like child abuse and because I don't like terrorism.

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Common sense says that it's more likely than if data is not encrypted.

[Richard]

Actually, no.  Common sense does not say that to me.  Perhaps to you, but not to me.  At several jobs I worked sensitive audit information was encrypted.  The laptop issued by the bank was encrypted because I had a database of all the customers of the bank plus their social security numbers, credit card numbers, and so forth.

There are very legitimate reasons for encryption, and I do not want the government to have access to those files because it is _none of their business._

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Actually, no.  Common sense does not say that to me.

That's because you don't have any.

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So?

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The Government would only have access to those files if they have a reason to suspect that something dodgy is going on.

[Richard]

You'd trust someone like your own government to decide that?  What about the Tories?  What about the Liberal Democrats?  This is just the start.  Government never stops taking power and/or authority.  It always keeps expanding in the name of things the public are scared of, like "terrorism."

[Filuwaúrdjan]

You'd trust someone like your own government to decide that?

Yes

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Wouldn't make any difference on this sort of thing; the Civil Service (and thus the machinary of Government) is politically neutral.

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Start of what?

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Not really true.

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Why the inverted commas? We've had a problem with terrorism since the '70's. Quite a lot of people were killed by terrorists in London last year in case you've forgotton...

[minionofmidas]

Al go and change your tampon.

I think he's referring to the Prince of Wales.

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Because I don't like paying higher taxes as a result of fraud/tax evasion, because I don't like child abuse and because I don't like terrorism.[/quote]Wait... you don't like terrorism now? What made you change your mind?
And what's that got to do with this legislation, anyhow?

[Democratic Hawk]

Al go and change your tampon.

I think he's referring to the Prince of Wales.

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Because I don't like paying higher taxes as a result of fraud/tax evasion, because I don't like child abuse and because I don't like terrorism.

Wait... you don't like terrorism now? What made you change your mind?
And what's that got to do with this legislation, anyhow?


[/quote]

Since when did Al like terrrorism Lewis?

Dave

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Wait... you don't like terrorism now? What made you change your mind?

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Because being able to get keys for encypted stuff would be far more likely to prevent terrorism than racial profiling (which Richard supports)

[Democratic Hawk]

In the fight against child pornography, fraud and terrorism, we must do whatever it takes to stop them in their tracks and bring them to justice

I suggest Richard takes his grievances out on them rather than the government. I thought conservatives were supposed to be the tough ones on law and order and national security

Dave

[Richard]

We are.  But not at the expense of civil rights and common decency and respect for other people.  Governments are there to serve the people, not other way around.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

As long the requirements to compel decryption are the same as those for any other search warrant, I see no problem with this.  If the requirements are looser, then there is a problem.  Same with the penalties for failure to comply.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

I don't trust the government with encryption keys.

[minionofmidas]

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Because being able to get keys for encypted stuff would be far more likely to prevent terrorism than racial profiling (which Richard supports)

Well so would shooting everybody dead. Or squatting a fly. Or toppling a bag of rice in China.


What Ernest says sounds reasonable to me, btw.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Well so would shooting everybody dead. Or squatting a fly. Or toppling a bag of rice in China.

Haha

I've been confused for a terrorist by some bigoted moron or other about ten or so times this year, btw...

[Brandon H]

I have to agree with Ernest. If they have a warrant for a search, than this is not unreasonable. But if they can order anyone to decrypt the data without a warrant, than that is crossing the line.

[Serenity Now]

Well so would shooting everybody dead. Or squatting a fly. Or toppling a bag of rice in China.

Haha

I've been confused for a terrorist by some bigoted moron or other about ten or so times this year, btw...

Really? How come?

[MODU]

We need to take our USA glasses off for a moment and put our UK glasses on.  If their government passed this law, and it set a decent time delay before being enacted, it has had more than enough time to be challenged.  If the companies are not obsessing over this, then they must have already made other arrangements to protect their proprietary data.  And for individuals, there usually isn't much that they store electronically which is that sensitive.  If our UK friends don't have an issue with this, then it's a non-issue.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Really? How come?

Almost certainly because I have dark hair and a beard.