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Due to the UK's key disclosure laws (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_disclosure_law#United_Kingdom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_disclosure_law#United_Kingd

by gst 13y ago

Due to the UK's key disclosure laws (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_disclosure_law#United_Kingdom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_disclosure_law#United_Kingd...) encryption doesn't help. If you don't provide your key to the government they can put you in jail for up to two years.

pi18n 13y ago
The UK is beyond unreasonable with that nonsense. What if you ask a foreign partner to create a key and secure the device without telling you until you are past the border or out of the country? What if you were collecting atmospheric data?
- epo 13y ago
  I disagree with the UK stance on such things but such behaviour on your part would rightly be taken as proof of ill-intent because it would be an unreasonable thing to do and so could only have been intended to avoid complying with the law. These people may be 'unreasonable' but they are much, much, much cleverer than you.
  - quantumpotato_ 13y ago
    False. Counter-example: You work for Company A and need to deliver documents to Company B. Your comrade X creates the key. You pass through a dangerous part of town where Company C works. Fearing that C might kidnap you, X created the key so that X must be present when they reach Company B through their alternate route. >"but such behaviour on your part would rightly be taken as proof of ill-intent because it would be an unreasonable thing to do and so could only have been intended to avoid complying with the law." There is a policeman in your head.
- DanBC 13y ago
  You make it sound like the US doesn't do anything similar.
  - pi18n 13y ago
    Not that I think the US has any moral high ground overall, but they only court-order your password under circumstances where someone's already seen evidence of something illegal on there.
homeomorphic 13y ago
If you hadn't provided a link I would have assumed you were joking. What happens under this law with people who carry USB sticks with truly random noise files on them?
- reeses 13y ago
  They do not have a sense of humor. This would be a cute way of writing a blog post about your day(s) spent in detention before being sent back to your country of origin/citizenship.
  - homeomorphic 13y ago
    This is disgusting. White noise is all around us - how is possessing a recording of it in any way a crime? I'm sorry I sound so naive, but I'm still incredibly flabbergasted by this.
    - greenyoda 13y ago
      The police might think that the white noise file is an encrypted document, demand that you provide the (non-existent) decryption key, and imprison you for "refusing" to provide it.
      - homeomorphic 13y ago
        Then surely they must logically also assume that when the prime minister's FM radio is tuned between channels he is receiving encrypted transmissions from terrorists. Are they going to xkcd-538 him for the key then? This stuff is not ok. Not at all.
      - reeses 13y ago
        Two things here. 1) These are not the police. Police are trained law enforcement officers. These are customs and immigration employees. They get training, but it's more important that they can get a security clearance. 2) Can you think of a reason for having a file of white noise that you could explain to this person that they would understand and believe? You really don't have many rights outside immigration/customs. "Probable cause" is "he acted weird." Cars have been destructively disassembled for less.

by gst 13y ago

pi18n 13y ago

The UK is beyond unreasonable with that nonsense. What if you ask a foreign partner to create a key and secure the device without telling you until you are past the border or out of the country? What if you were collecting atmospheric data?

epo 13y ago
I disagree with the UK stance on such things but such behaviour on your part would rightly be taken as proof of ill-intent because it would be an unreasonable thing to do and so could only have been intended to avoid complying with the law. These people may be 'unreasonable' but they are much, much, much cleverer than you.
- quantumpotato_ 13y ago
  False. Counter-example: You work for Company A and need to deliver documents to Company B. Your comrade X creates the key. You pass through a dangerous part of town where Company C works. Fearing that C might kidnap you, X created the key so that X must be present when they reach Company B through their alternate route. >"but such behaviour on your part would rightly be taken as proof of ill-intent because it would be an unreasonable thing to do and so could only have been intended to avoid complying with the law." There is a policeman in your head.
DanBC 13y ago
You make it sound like the US doesn't do anything similar.
- pi18n 13y ago
  Not that I think the US has any moral high ground overall, but they only court-order your password under circumstances where someone's already seen evidence of something illegal on there.

homeomorphic 13y ago

If you hadn't provided a link I would have assumed you were joking. What happens under this law with people who carry USB sticks with truly random noise files on them?

reeses 13y ago
They do not have a sense of humor. This would be a cute way of writing a blog post about your day(s) spent in detention before being sent back to your country of origin/citizenship.
- homeomorphic 13y ago
  This is disgusting. White noise is all around us - how is possessing a recording of it in any way a crime? I'm sorry I sound so naive, but I'm still incredibly flabbergasted by this.
  - greenyoda 13y ago
    The police might think that the white noise file is an encrypted document, demand that you provide the (non-existent) decryption key, and imprison you for "refusing" to provide it.
    - homeomorphic 13y ago
      Then surely they must logically also assume that when the prime minister's FM radio is tuned between channels he is receiving encrypted transmissions from terrorists. Are they going to xkcd-538 him for the key then? This stuff is not ok. Not at all.
    - reeses 13y ago
      Two things here. 1) These are not the police. Police are trained law enforcement officers. These are customs and immigration employees. They get training, but it's more important that they can get a security clearance. 2) Can you think of a reason for having a file of white noise that you could explain to this person that they would understand and believe? You really don't have many rights outside immigration/customs. "Probable cause" is "he acted weird." Cars have been destructively disassembled for less.