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Full Disk Encryption Hard For Law Enforcement To Crack
If you'd rather keep your data private, take heart: disk encryption is a lot harder to break than techno-thriller movies and TV shows make it out to be, to the chagrin of some branches of law enforcement.
MrSeb writes with word of a paper titled "The growing impact of full disk encryption on digital forensics" [abstract here to paywalled article] that illustrates just how difficult it is. According to the paper, co-authored by a member of US-CERT, "[T]here are three main problems with full disk encryption (FDE): First, evidence-gathering goons can turn off the computer (for transportation) without realizing it's encrypted, and thus can't get back at the data (unless the arrestee gives up his password, which he doesn't have to do); second, if the analysis team doesn't know that the disk is encrypted, it can waste hours trying to read something that's ultimately unreadable; and finally, in the case of hardware-level disk encryption, tampering with the device can trigger self-destruction of the data. The paper does go on to suggest some ways to ameliorate these issues, but ultimately the researchers aren't hopeful: 'Research is needed to develop new techniques and technology for breaking or bypassing full disk encryption.'"
Xkcd "comics" (I'm very hesitant to actually call them that) are never obligatory. In fact, we're all better off if you don't link to them. They just plain aren't funny or amusing or insightful, regardless of what your taste in humor is.
Many of them just make a semi-obscure academic, scientific or Internet cultural reference. There's not even any commentary, implied or expressed, about the thing or idea being referenced! The comic just makes the reference, and somehow that's supposed to be comical. Well, it isn't.
Many of the rest just rip off jokes or witty observations that have been floating around labs, colleges, and other academic or scientific institutions for decades now. They are not original in any way.
There are many truly funny web comics out there, written by very bright people who combine intellect and artistic skill in a remarkable way. Link to them instead of xkcd. Xkcd "comics" just aren't worthy of being viewed.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." That depends- is the right not to self incriminate one of these endowed by our Creator? Assuming of course you agree with the writers of this document.