>> On 6 Feb 2003, Peter Fairbrother <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said: >> Unfortuately, this is not true in the UK - the penalty for >> non-decryption of encrypted files on request by an LEA (even >> if you don't have the key!) is a jail term.
> b) Plod would have to prove you have the key, and refused to give > it, before you got convicted. Kinda hard to do. Amusingly, this requirement was only added *after* activists e-mailed the Home Secretary, Jack Straw, with mail encrypted to random public keys; making the point that unless he could decrypt all of them if asked, he'd be looking at a jail term. An RMS article from _The Guardian_ gives more details about the bill: < http://www.stallman.org/knock.html > Another point is that ``normal'' constables aren't able to action the request; they have to be approved by the Chief Constable of a police force, or the head of a relevant Government department. The full text of the Act is available at: < http://www.fipr.org/rip/ripa2000.htm > - Chris. -- $a="printf.net"; Chris Ball | chris@void.$a | www.$a | finger: chris@$a | "The obvious mathematical breakthrough would be development of an easy | way to factor large prime numbers." -- Bill Gates, _The Road Ahead_.
