UK teenager sentenced 16-weeks for refusal to reveal password
07 Oct 2010
A teenager in the UK has received a 16-week prison sentence in a Young Offenders Institution for his refusal to give up the encryption key for his computer.
Oliver Drage, 19, was first arrested in May last year and according to a report in PC Pro he was questioned on suspicion of being in possession of indecent child images.
When police tried to check Drage's computer for the images, it was found to be protected by a 50-character password, which officers were not able to crack.
Drage still declines to reveal the password for his PC and has been convicted under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA 2000).
According to Lancashire Police detective sergeant Neil Fowler, computer systems were constantly advancing and the legislation used here was specifically brought in to deal with those who use the internet to commit crime.
"It sends a robust message out to those intent on trying to mask their online criminal activities that they will be taken before the courts with the ultimate sanction, as in this case, being a custodial sentence."
