How Long to Crack an 'Encrypted' HD?

brainburger asks: "In the UK, Tony Blair has recently lost a parliametary vote to allow the police to hold terrorist suspects for 90 days without trial. One of the justifications the police gave for the extension from 14 days to 90 days was that they need the extra 76 days to decrypt the computer hard-drives of suspects. This has been seen by some as the only compelling reason to allow 90 days. The time-limit has been extended to 28 days instead, but Tony Blair insists 90 days is required. Are there really any encryption systems that cannot be cracked in 28 days, but which can be cracked in 90? Aside from the not-much-discussed issue that the police can no longer interrogate a suspect after they are charged, I suspect the police meant unencrypted machines. What do you think?"

Comments

Re:Pardon the obvious...

[supabeast!]

"A man is (supposed to be) innocent until proven guilty."

Not outside of the USA. And even the USA only applies that one to citizens.

Re:Before you answer

[SeanJones]

Mate, I think you may be losing it here. Ask for an Amnesty International membership for Christmas. The UK (Freedom House rating: Free) is not, on any rational analysis, the closest democtaic state to a Police State. Take two of the places I have sent many an Amnesty International letter to: Turkey (Freedom house rating: Partly Free) or Russia (Freedom House Rating: Not Free). Bear in mind that the latter has a former head of the KGB in charge. Heck, even the US had a former CIA man as President in living memory.

As to locking people up without trial for 3 months; this is utterly commonplace. It is called "remand". It is hard to get a criminal trial of anything beyond trivial complexity on in three months even if the lists permitted. The problem is locking people up without charge for three months.

Fawn IS a weird colour for a suit.