Encription Keys? Hand Them Over Says China
- Thread starter WillEater
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Yep. They tried to pass a similar law right after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It turns out the terrorists used PGP encryption on some of their computer files.....took the FBI a few years to crack it. The law was voted down or vetoed or something....I forget.
Terrorism has changed the way we think about freedom. France, for instance, which is one of the most beloved believers in citizens rights in the world, willing signed away many of their freedoms in order to combat Islamic Extremists that consider killing women, children and other unarmed people to be the path to salvation, within their borders no less (and a justifiable trade, considering recent events). England however is not a republic (technically still a monarchy) and the laws against encryption have been around for awhile (2007). The belief there is if you are hiding something then you must be guilty of something. Don't get me wrong, the USA has its' fair share of problems when it comes to their laws and justice system but the size and population differential between America and European countries should be taken into account there. It is a hell of a lot easier to govern 53 million people (the last census of England) than it is to govern 329 million. You would think that meant a little more freedom for its' citizens than just letting them get away with a tussle at the local pub. I really like the majority of the English people I have met but I am not a big fan of their government.
As of right now:
" Under new proposals, messaging apps will have to either add a backdoor to their programs, or risk a potential ban within the UK. To justify the proposal to ban encryption, David Cameron claims that "In our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people, which even in extremis, with a signed warrant from the home secretary personally, that we cannot read?"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encryption_ban_proposal_in_the_United_Kingdom
Presently the law in England is this:
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), Part III, activated by ministerial order in October 2007, requires persons to supply decrypted information and/or keys to government representatives with a court order. Failure to disclose carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail. The provision was first used against animal rights activists in November 2007, and at least three people have been prosecuted and convicted for refusing to surrender their encryption keys, one of whom was sentenced to 13 months' imprisonment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_disclosure_law
gotta love the Wiki for quick summaries of info. The US does bypass personal rights if it is deemed a National Security matter but that is a pretty hot topic even in these troubled times. Our Constitution doesn't really give them that authority. On occasion the FBI does use a national security letter ( a federal subpoena without a judge) to gather information for national security purposes. (Thank you so much terrorist assholes!). There are a lot of checks and balances to that though and one is not easily issued.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_security_letter