- To: gilc-plan@gilc.org
- Subject: UK Police to Have 24-hour Access Private Encrypted Files
- From: Barry Steinhardt <Barrys@aclu.org>
- Date: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 09:22:37 -0400
- Reply-To: gilc-plan@gilc.org
ISPI Clips 13.06: UK Police to Have 24-hour Access Private Encrypted
Files
News & Info from the Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI)
Wednesday June 2, 1999
ISPI4Privacy@ama-gi.com or alternate ISPI4Privacy@earthlink.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This From: The Times (UK), May 27, 1999
http://www.the-times.co.uk
E-mail code-busters to join crime fight
Police will have 24-hour access to secret files
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/99/05/27/timnwsnws01019.html?999
By
Stewart Tendler
A 24-HOUR technical centre to help to crack secret Internet and e-mail
systems used by criminals is being set up by the computer industry and
the
police.
The centre will open encrypted messages for officers who have a warrant.
If
the codes cannot be cracked it will call in computer specialists.
Ministers are also introducing laws giving police and Customs
investigators
powers to order Internet operators to unlock encrypted systems for taps.
Users could also be forced to hand over codes protecting
information.
The plans were announced yesterday as ministers released a report by the
Cabinet Office's Performance and Innovation Unit on the problems of
encryption and police investigations.
The report revealed that telephones taps last year led to the seizure of
three tonnes of heroin and cocaine and the arrest of 1,200
criminals.
Underlining that interceptions have become an "essential tool"
the report
said that one suspect involved in serious crime was arrested for every
two
warrants issued by Jack Straw, the Home Secretary.
Interceptions became vital when intelligence could not be obtained by
surveillance or informants. In 1996-97 the taps resulted in the seizure
of
450 guns and 112 tonnes of drugs, such as cannabis, worth £600
million.
Looking at ways of dealing with the rise of encryption programmes for
e-mail
and telephone systems, the report found that although there was general
public acceptance of current telephone taps there was strong aversion in
some areas to secret police access to the Internet.
The Government has already ruled out creating an authority which would
hold
the "keys" to encrypted systems sold by licensed firms and
allow access to
investigators. The report concluded that such a plan would be unwieldy
and
still would not give police enough access.
Yesterday Mr Straw said the plans showed that government and industry
could
work together. The aim was to develop the use of the Internet for
commerce
without encouraging or helping crime.
Case histories released yesterday show how terrorists and paedophiles are
already using encryption and slowing or halting investigations.
In 1995 two men were arrested in the Home Counties and accused of being
at
the centre of a ring putting out child pornography. Detectives believed
that
encrypted material had been sent worldwide. The men were later jailed but
10
per cent of the material was never uncovered. Last year police
investigating
sex and attempted murder allegations found encrypted material on a
suspect's
computer. They finally cracked the code when they discovered the
decryption
key among other material.
Copyright 1999 Times Newspapers Ltd.
--------------------------------NOTICE:------------------------------
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Barry
Steinhardt 125
Broad Street
Associate
Director New York,NY
10004
ACLU 212
549 -2508 (v)
Barrys@aclu.org 212
549-2656 (f)
http://www.aclu.org