divec - Slashdot User

Submission + - British teen jailed over encrypted password (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 05, 2010 @04:20PM

An anonymous reader writes: Oliver Drage, 19, of Liverpool has been convicted of "failing to disclose an encryption key" which is an offense under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and as a result has been jailed for 16 weeks. Police seized his computer but could not get past the 50-character encrypted password that he refused to give up. And just to get it out of the way, obligatory XKCD.

Comment Here's the draconian law that makes this possible (Score 1) 1

by divec on Tuesday October 05, 2010 @03:29PM (#33798346) Attached to: Man jailed over computer password refusal

Withholding your encryption key when requested is now a criminal offence under Part III of the draconian Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act 2000. According to the policeman in the article, this sends a robust message out to "those intent on trying to mask their online criminal activities". So I guess it's RIP to "Innocent until proven guilty", at least in the country where the phrase was invented. Note also that under section 53(2), if you have forgotten your password then you will still be found guilty of the offence, unless you can show that you have forgotten it. I wonder how you are supposed to show that you have forgotten something.

Comment Here's the draconian law that makes this possible (Score 1) 2

by divec on Tuesday October 05, 2010 @03:27PM (#33798334) Attached to: UK jails man for not handing over encryption key

Withholding your encryption key when requested is now a criminal offence under Part III of the draconian Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act 2000. According to the policeman in the article, this sends a robust message out to "those intent on trying to mask their online criminal activities". So I guess it's RIP to "Innocent until proven guilty", at least in the country where the phrase was invented. Note also that under section 53(2), if you have forgotten your password then you will still be found guilty of the offence, unless you can show that you have forgotten it. I wonder how you are supposed to show that you have forgotten something.

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