New Privacy Concerns in the U.K. UK can now demand data decryption on penalty of jail time

UK can now demand data decryption on penalty of jail time:

New laws going into effect today in the United Kingdom make it a crime to refuse to decrypt almost any encrypted data requested by authorities as part of a criminal or terror investigation. Individuals who are believed to have the cryptographic keys necessary for such decryption will face up to 5 years in prison for failing to comply with police or military orders to hand over either the cryptographic keys, or the data in a decrypted form.

Having just given a cursory presentation on government efforts to suppress encryption and legislate or otherwise require the use of encryption that allows government easy access to the plain text, this is a troublesome proposition. I imagine it won’t be long until the States tries something similar. Hopefully, backlash from industry experts, privacy advocates, big business, and other constituents (You hear that, politicians? That means the people that put you into office.) will be strong enough to prevent the passing of such a bill here. It’s always nice when such disparate parties can come together against a common enemy.

(Via Ars Technica.)

Popularity: 38% [?]

Where is Belize?

I’m sitting in Einstein’s this morning, and there is a table of four young co-eds to my left. They are discussing the trip one of them took to Belize this summer and how they should all go there for spring break. I’m glad they aren’t having to drive there because apparently, judging by their discussion, they would end up in Baja California. Is it any wonder, though, that they wouldn’t know where the hell Belize is when 20% of Americans can’t find their own country on a map. To quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, I weep for the future.

Popularity: 48% [?]

Truemors :: Japan’s Enormous, Colossal, Gigantic Skyscraper

Truemors :: Japan’s Enormous, Colossal, Gigantic Skyscraper:

Even Godzilla plans on skipping the ascent.

Holy crap! Fourth grade social studies taught me that Japan is short on land area, but this is insane! To think of more than five times the population of my home town living in one stratospheric building is nuts, yet that is the only way I can get my head around it.

(Via Guy Kawasaki on Twitter.)

Popularity: 22% [?]