3 ms·
Feds Want Judge to Force Suspect to Give Up Laptop Password
- dieselweasel 15y agoA thought experiment: Let's say I, a Canadian Citizen, asked someone in Canada to enter a passphrase to encrypt the data on my computer but not tell me what the passphrase is until I safely get to my destination. I cross the border into the US where my laptop is seized. The case goes to court where a judge orders me to decrypt the contents of the hard drive... but I can't because I don't have the passphrase. I'm assuming the court would not have the power to order the only person with the passphrase to enter it because they are not in a jurisdiction under the courts control. What could they compel me to do? What sanctions could they bring to bear against me for not providing information I don't have?