British Police Seek Power to Seize Encryption Keys
Because British law enforcement officers don't have the authority to seize encryption keys, an increasing number of criminals are able to evade justice, a senior police officer said Monday. Earlier this summer, the British government announced that it plans to activate Part 3 of the Regulations of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act, which will give the police the power, in some circumstances, to demand an encryption key from a suspect. Part 3 of the RIP Act has been heavily criticized in the past by security professionals and academics who believe that it is a dangerous and badly written piece of legislation that cannot be properly implemented.
British police: We need power to seize encryption keys, ZD Net UK, August 15, 2006.
