Re:FBI's ability to legally access secure messaging app cont...
by oceanplexian on Tuesday November 30, 2021 @06:18PM
(#29398682)
We really should up our game on encryption, perhaps some kind of time-based crypto rotation that inherently self-destructs rendering the data unusable if you don't authenticate with it every so often. If you are physically unable to unlock a device you can't be compelled to do so.
Although there are apparently a whole bunch of legal details that matter here; courts have in some cases held that defendants can be forced to decrypt a device when the mere act of being able to decrypt it is itself a foregone conclusion.
(If you want to google a few of these cases, the all writs act is a decent keyword to include in the search).
The defendant never needs to divulge the passphrase - they simply need to provide a decrypted laptop.