Security-related questions

[Derek Broughton]

Willy Hamra wrote:

>>
>> > I read something the
>> > other day, that a laptop hard disk was cloned at border control. You
>> > can't really hide an account because the user name has to be listed
>> > in /etc/passwd. Maybe you want to read a bit about truecrypt at
>> > <http://www.truecrypt.org>, but I can't tell you how safe that would be
>> > at border control.
>>
>> Failing to deliver the decryption key could be a violation of the PATRIOT
>> act.
> 
> i dont live in the US, so dont exactly know the PATRIOT act, but what are
> you saying? if the border control were unable to see my data due to a
> certain security measure i've taken, say encryption, i have to help them
> get the info? what about the user or root password? are people forced to
> give that too?

I don't know for certain that border control would have that power, but I'm
sure that _some_ law enforcement agencies can compel you to give your
passwords and decryption keys.
-- 
derek