Canada's Police Chiefs Want New Law To Compel People To Reveal Passwords (www.cbc.ca)

Reader DaveyJJ writes: CBC is reporting that the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, has passed a resolution calling for a legal measure to unlock digital evidence, saying criminals increasingly use encryption to hide illicit activities. The chiefs are recommending new legislation that would force people to hand over their electronic passwords with a judge's consent. RCMP Assistant Commissioner Joe Oliver is using the usual scare tactics "child-molesters and mobsters live in the 'dark web'" in his statement today to drum up public support in his poorly rationalized privacy-stripping recommendation. A few years ago, Canada's Supreme Court ruled that police must have a judge's order to request subscriber and customer information from ISPs, banks and others who have online data about Canadians. I guess that ruling isn't sitting too well with law enforcement and Canada's domestic spy agencies.

Comments

Re:"With a judge's consent"

[Anonymous Coward]

That says it all. Nothing unreasonable here.

Ah, the authoritarian assholes chime in right on schedule. Although we are talking about Canadians here, there is something I find very un-American about forcing a suspect to answer any question when he is under threat of prosecution, regardless of a judge's warrant.

The oppressor classes always seem to forget that once a warrant is served, there is no guarantee that any search may be fruitful. Looking for something does not mean that you will find what you seek. Collecting that cell phone does not guarantee that you can make any sense of it and is no different than had it been factory reset. The problem is that law enforcement are used to easy pickin's and cannot stand the fact that there are some things out of their reach and control.

That is what authoritarians do not want to accept.

Until warrantless searches, civil asset forfeiture without charges, and the myriad other abuses by law enforcement perpetrated without consequences are rescinded, I for one am not at all interested in giving up any more of my rights or freedom.