UK Data Encryption Disclosure Law Takes Effect

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rs

Dagobah Resident
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20071001/tc_pcworld/137881;_ylt=AjLQERQNXtby_AfxKJv5Vn0E1vAI

I wonder how long it will take for the US to adopt a similar stance? To heck with the 5th amendment! Black booted hooded storm troopers are headed to your house to force Johnny to reveal his secret decoder ring settings from the Cracker Jacks box.

IDG News Service said:
Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service Mon Oct 1, 10:00 AM ET

British law enforcement gained new powers on Monday to compel individuals and businesses to decrypt data wanted by authorities for investigations.

The measure is in the third part of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), legislation passed in 2000 by the U.K. Parliament to give law enforcement new investigation powers with respect to evolving communication technologies.

The government contends law enforcement more frequently encounters encrypted data, which delays investigations. But RIPA Part III wasn't activated when the act was passed due to the less prevalent use of encryption.

But as of Monday, those served with a "Section 49" notice have to either make decryption keys available or put the data in an intelligible form for authorities. Failure to comply could mean a prison sentence of up to two years for cases not involving national security or five years for those that do.

A Section 49 request must first be approved by a judicial authority, chief of police, the customs and excise commissioner or a person ranking higher than a brigadier or equivalent. Authorities can also mandate that the recipient of a Section 49 request not tell anyone except their lawyer that they have received it.

Critics countered RIPA Part III could put corporate data at risk if mishandled by government officials, although the government wrote a code of practice concerning the handling of encryption keys.

Spy Blog, a Web site that comments on privacy and data security issues, called on the government to publish regular statistics on the number of Section 49 notices served. The site further called for feedback from organizations served with notices.

The U.K. Home Office addresses only one specific type of device and technology in its published guidance on RIPA Part III: the BlackBerry, the omnipresent handheld for business people.

E-mails sent to a BlackBerry are decrypted on the device, meaning neither Research in Motion Ltd., the BlackBerry's manufacturer, nor the wireless operator handling the data transfer are privy to the encryption keys, the Home Office guidance said.

If investigators want encrypted data, they will have to go directly to the device owner, the Home Office said. Also, RIPA Part III only applies to data stored in the U.K., so encrypted data that transited through the U.K. would not fall under the legislation.
 
Ah, Yes...

The PTB are rushing full speed ahead to 'tighten the screws'
in preparation for the 'harvest', osit.
 
dant said:
Ah, Yes...

The PTB are rushing full speed ahead to 'tighten the screws'
in preparation for the 'harvest', osit.
I don't have enough expertise in the field of data encryption.

But while reading this article I thought that this new law was maybe a way to maintain the illusion that encrypted data communications were safe.

Is this kind of communication safe ? I'm not sure about it.
 
Axel_Dunor said:
But while reading this article I thought that this new law was maybe a way
to maintain the illusion that encrypted data communications were safe.
As highlighted, it IS an illusion for most of the sheeple, but not all. You can
google: "RSA Encryption" and find places where it is well known that there
are "back-door" access for the 'authorities' as required by [munitions] law.
They have "master keys" for access.

Encryption is easily cracked by those who have the expertise and resources
to do it and that pretty much rules out most of the (civilian) population. Don't
forget that the military is YEARS ahead of the present. NEVER entrust encryption
so completely so as to think you can hide your most trusted secrets, electronically
especially from the 'authorities'.
 
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