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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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @09:04PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @09:04PM (#391235)

    People who really want privacy - good and bad guys alike - will turn to steganography and carry the art forward to dizzying heights.

    Go ahead and look at my stuff! Nothing to see here!

  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @09:12PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @09:12PM (#391240)

    Steganography, you say?

    People who really want privacy - good and bad guys alike - will turn to steganography and carry the art forward to dizzying heights.
    Go ahead and look at my stuff! Nothing to see here!

    I see what you did there...

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @09:34PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @09:34PM (#391255)

      It is quite cold and cloudy in St. Petersburg this time of year, Stanley. One could quickly find that statistic through Google.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @10:34PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @10:34PM (#391288)

        Our mulberry bushes have aphids this year. I look forward to autumn.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 22 2016, @06:04PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 22 2016, @06:04PM (#391759)

          Mulberry bushes
          have aphids this year. I look
          forward to autumn.

          FTFY