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[FYI] UK: "Decryption warrants"
- To: debate@fitug.de
- Subject: [FYI] UK: "Decryption warrants"
- From: Horns@t-online.de (Axel H. Horns)
- Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 10:08:14 +0100
- Comment: This message comes from the debate mailing list.
- Organization: PA Axel H. Horns
- Reply-to: horns@t-online.de
- Sender: owner-debate@fitug.de
http://www.heise.de/tp/english/inhalt/te/5065/1.html
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UK: Electronic Communications Act Creates
Legal Perils
Duncan Campbell 09.07.99
"Decryption warrants": the replacement for key
escrow.
After three years of unsuccessful attempts to
introduce key escrow, the British government
has written an "Electronic Communications Act"
to force users of electronic privacy to hand
over their keys, passwords or plaintext on
demand to the police. Part 3 of the proposed
Act grants police powers to seek two year jail
sentences for anyone unable to provide them on
demand with keys to encrypted files and
communications. Both encryption users and
service providers will be covered. Another new
offence is aimed mainly at service providers.
Called the "tipping off" offence, this
provision would impose jail sentences on
anyone who revealed that they had been served
with a decryption warrant. It could be used to
prevent the recipient, or even the user of the
privacy keys concerned, from telling anyone
else that their messages were no longer
private or secure.
[...]
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