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posted by janrinok on Sunday August 21 2016, @07:39PM   Printer-friendly
from the what-privacy? dept.

Encryption tools that keep your digital communications hidden from prying eyes are becoming more widespread, and Canadian police say they need a law that compels people to hand over their passwords so cops can access those communications.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP), a lobbying organization with membership from across the country, passed a resolution at its annual conference on Tuesday mandating that the group advocate for a law that would force people to provide their computer passwords to police with a judge's consent, CTV reported.

"To say this is deeply problematic is to understate the matter," said Micheal Vonn, policy director for the BC Civil Liberties Association. "We have all kinds of laws that do not compel people to incriminate themselves or even speak."

A law that compels people to give police access to their devices, which may contain messages, photos, and data that have nothing to do with any active criminal investigation, doesn't fit within Canada's current legal landscape and would be "tricky constitutionally," Vonn added.

"I'd question whether this proposal is constitutional," said Tamir Israel, a lawyer for the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa.

"It's rare to force people to help police investigate themselves, and for good reason," Israel continued. "It shifts the focus of criminal condemnation away from actual criminal activity and onto compliance. So if an individual legitimately objects to handing over their password, that alone makes them criminal."

[...] "This has been a standard component of what the chiefs of police do—they argue for laws that would make policing easier," Vonn said.

"But is it a good idea from a civil liberties perspective? No."


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  • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday August 21 2016, @08:33PM

    by Gaaark (41) on Sunday August 21 2016, @08:33PM (#391207) Journal

    I want a law that forces cops to not be criminals, not to beat people up, not to....

    And hookers should be able to strip search me any time they want. But I don't want blow: booze is fine.

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 22 2016, @12:30PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 22 2016, @12:30PM (#391587)

    Meh, gimme a nice joint any day over booze. Blow is strait poison.