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UK jails schizophrenic for refusal to decrypt files

AaronCAaronC
edited November 2009 in Everything Else
UK Jails man for refusal to decrypt

Its an interesting article and the gentleman in question certainly committed some offenses, but the long term implications of the article are worrisome. As I see it there are things to draw from this article:

1. There is no equivalent to the 5th Amendment in the UK. The implication that silence and refusal to cooperate is enough to deserve jail worries me.
2. Guilty because they don't know what you know. The statements by the CTC that he must either be a pedophile or a terrorist since he refuses to show them the data are not a big step from saying "we don't know whats in your house, you need to show us and refusal to do so means you must be a pedophile or a terrorist".
3. The UK does not treat the mentally ill very well in their judicial system
4. Don't buy a copy of Steal This Book, if you live in the UK. Of course that might be used against you in any country these days.

I'd like to hear others opinions on this one. Its this kind of thing that worries me and makes me want to build a data haven on an older offshore platform out in the gulf, although I know how impractical that would be.

Comments

  • ChurbaChurba
    I'd like to hear others opinions on this one.
    Well, To be honest, my opinion for a long time - thanks to hearing the announcement in random locations "For your comfort and Saftey, Monitored CCTV cameras are present in this location/this (placename)" - has not been very good. And I live in leeds, where they tell you about it, as opposed to london, where they don't make such frequent announcements, because it's a fucking given.

    Seriously, UK? Screw you guys, I'm going home.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Slow news week?
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    edited November 2009
    4. Don't buy a copy of Steal This Book, if you live in the UK. Of course that might be used against you in any country these days.
    Steal This Book is obsolete garbage, as much as I admire Abbie Hoffman for his freethinking ways. Steal This Wiki is what everyone should be reading.

    EDIT: However, having a suspect RDX slurry on your hands is a perfectly sane reason to request decryption. RDX is a precursor to all kinds of nasty stuff, and this guy sounds like he's, at the very least, a danger to society if not a "terrorist." As much as I am for privacy and encryption rights, the presence of high explosives on your person calls for some for of intervention. That being said, silence and refusal to decrypt should never imply guilt.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • AaronCAaronC
    WindUpBird: Your quite correct that the guy in the article is a serious nut case and exhibiting some very suspicious behaviours, but the statements by the authorities are really worrisome, especially after no charges were brought on the 9 nanograms of RDX on his person. It states in the article that results of 5 nanograms or less are discounted, but I don't know enough to know if 9 nanograms is a significantly higher amount, or just slightly above the amount discounted. Additionally all the terrorism charges were dropped and all his criminal charges are due to not cooperating with the police.

    My biggest concern is the attitude by law enforcement and the government that if you don't cooperate you must be hiding something.
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