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British Teen Jailed Over Encryption Password

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."

4 of 1,155 comments (clear)

  1. Re:What is he hiding? by Haeleth · · Score: 0, Troll

    Which position did you have in mind?

    He is hiding something. The police had a warrant to search his computer, which means they convinced someone in authority that they had reason to believe he was hiding something. When they asked him to cooperate, he chose to go to jail instead.

    Whatever is behind that encryption must be pretty bad if he figures that's better than letting a policeman see it.

    Sorry, but suspected criminals do not have the right not to be investigated. Democracy depends on the rule of law; if you let people go unprosecuted because you decide to elevate their right to privacy over everyone else's right not to be a victim of crime, you are undermining the very society that guarantees all your rights in the first place.

  2. Re:Also as a practical matter by dwiget001 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Hillary made "I don't recall" a house hold phrase.

  3. Re:Also as a practical matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    It's a common complaint, and you're just a sheep for repeating it without informing yourself. I'm not even British myself, and yet I know that the House of Lords has prevented numerous "errors" attempted by the "elected politicians" to enact fascist or destructive laws. It would appear that NOT being subject to manipulation in the House of Commons allows some of the Lords to act on their good conscience. Shame they couldn't stop this pathetically obvious reach for power that enacted RIPA, but I guess you can't win 'em all, all of the time.

    And now, my dear Zeppo, why dont you keep your fat mouth shut and concentrate on the problems in your own country. Fucking yanks seem to think that having a mouth is licence to open it ad flap out any old nonsense - why the hell haven't you fuckers thrown out Congress yet? Are you really okay with being pwned by corporate shills and global militarists? Why haven't you stupid fucks executed your Iraqi war criminals? If you want to be taken seriously, ..... oh, fuck , who do I think I'm kidding?
    Who modded this arrogant ignoramus up?

  4. Re:Also as a practical matter by Grishnakh · · Score: 1, Troll

    We Americans have elections too, but it's only resulted in having a government far more corrupt than China's, a country where there are no elections.

    As for the Queen and public dole, my understanding is that the Royal Family's finances are completely separate from the government's, and they receive no taxpayer money. That's why they've been selling off their properties and artwork, and turning their remaining properties into tourist traps. I have to agree on the House of Lords, however; that's just plain stupid. We've tried government-by-birthright here in the USA too, and it didn't work at all (GWB).