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In UK, Two Convicted of Refusing To Decrypt Data

Posted by kdawson on from the no-pleading-the-fifth dept.

ACKyushu clues us to recent news out of the UK, where two people have been successfully prosecuted for refusing to provide authorities with their encryption keys, resulting in landmark convictions that may have carried jail sentences of up to five years. There is uncertainty in that the names of the people convicted were not released; and without those names, the Crown Prosecution Service said it was unable to track down details of the cases. "Failure to comply with a section 49 notice carries a sentence of up to two years jail plus fines. Failure to comply during a national security investigation carries up to five years jail. ... Of the 15 individuals served, 11 did not comply with the notices. Of the 11, seven were charged and two convicted. Sir Christopher [Rose, the government's Chief Surveillance Commissioner] did not report whether prosecutions failed or are pending against the five charged but not convicted in the period covered by his report."

4 of 554 comments (clear)

  1. They already shut innocents by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Well the Britons already shut innocents in the head for running, forget your password and be send to jail is not too heavy.

  2. Re:That's rich by Dog-Cow · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I hope you are brutally murdered by a police officer who is "just doing his job".

  3. Re:The logic is obvious by microbox · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    There are obvious other solutions to this problem. For example, you may be gagged for a period of 2 weeks. The request by the police must be entered as a matter of public record, to be revealed in no less then 1 month. Something like that would make the police think twice about targeting "undesirables". Note that the US wiretapping program has been used to track left-wing journalists. This is what happens when there's no accountability.

    Also, consider the absurdity, absolute insanity, on attempting to gag a terrorist cell member with a legal threat. Who are you kidding. A cell member wouldn't blink and eye breaking such a law.

    It's a simple as that. The options are to do a 16th century Japan and ban progress, or accept there will be problems en route.

    You are soooooooooooooooooo wrong.

    --

    Like all pain, suffering is a signal that something isn't right
  4. Re:The logic is obvious by AP31R0N · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Can someone parse this cluster fuck "sentence" for me? i can't make heads or tails of Mrs. Palin's rambling.

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