[IP] more on Can you be compelled to give a password?
Begin forwarded message:
From: Eric Raible <raible@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: July 30, 2006 5:35:58 AM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Can you be compelled to give a password?
Dave -
For IP, if you wish.
From: David Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Can you be compelled to give a password? [was: Police
Blotter:
Laptop border searches OK'd]
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 14:26:59 -0400
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Patrick W. Gilmore" <patrick@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: July 28, 2006 2:11:45 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Cc: "Patrick W. Gilmore" <patrick@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Can you be compelled to give a password? [was: Police
Blotter: Laptop border searches OK'd]
On Jul 28, 2006, at 1:32 PM, David Farber wrote:
I don't believe it is a crime in any US Federal or State law, or
in Canadian law, to set passwords and use encryption. In the US,
I believe that a warrant would be necessary for law enforcement
to ask for your password, but I don't know if you have to
comply. IANAL.
That is a good question - Can you be compelled to give up a
password? Would you mind posting it to IP, I am interested in the
answer.
Seems there might be some 'self-incriminatory' arguments here.
Perhaps even an "unreasonable search" argument. But IANAL.
Among many other useful features, the open source TrueCrypt
(www.truecrypt.org)
supports "plausible deniability". Which means that even if forced to
reveal a
password, your actual secret data could remain just that.
From the web page:
Free open-source disk encryption software for Windows XP/2000/2003
and Linux
* Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it
as a real disk.
* Encrypts an entire hard disk partition or a device.
* Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.
* Provides two levels of plausible deniability, in case an
adversary forces you to reveal the password:
1) Hidden volume (steganography – more information may be
found here).
2) No TrueCrypt volume can be identified (volumes cannot be
distinguished from random data).
* Encryption algorithms: AES-256, Blowfish (448-bit key), CAST5,
Serpent, Triple DES, and Twofish.
Mode of operation: LRW (CBC supported as legacy).
I've had only good experiences with the windows version, albeit only
with a virtual encrypted disk, and never with whole-disk encryption.
Although possibly relevant to this thread, I also haven't tried either
of the two add-ons: 1) TCGINA, which "allows the use of TrueCrypt to
on-the-fly encrypt a Windows user profile" or 2) CTEMP, which "automates
the process of using TrueCrypt to on-the-fly encrypt the Windows paging
(swap) file, temporary files, and print spooler files".
Full disclosure: my only connection with TrueCrypt is as a satisfied
user.
- Eric Raible
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