Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Encryption Passphrase Protected by the 5th Amendment

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the my-password-is-password dept.

Takichi writes "A federal judge in Vermont has ruled that prosecutors can't force the defendant to divulge his PGP passphrase. The ruling was given on the basis that the passphrase is protected under the 5th amendment to the United States Constitution (protection against self-incrimination)." The question comes down to, is your password the contents of your brain, or the keys to a safe.

1 of 537 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Plausible deniability by dpilot · · Score: 0, Redundant

    But the moment you're using TrueCrypt and it's "plausible deniability" has become well-known, then you're under the gun to divulge, whether you've used the feature or not.

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.