• rbn@sopuli.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    15 days ago

    Is there even a way to proof that certain data is encrypted? If I sent you a mail with…

    HATSKNRJDHDJSKISNSJKNRURJDHJDKD

    …it could be an illegally encrypted text, but also just random gibberish. How would you ever enforce such a law?

    And with the use of stenography you could also make secret messages less obvious.

    • Anivia@feddit.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      15 days ago

      …it could be an illegally encrypted text, but also just random gibberish. How would you ever enforce such a law?

      I case of Germany the police would knock on your door at 6 am with a search warrant and confiscate all your electronics to search for encryption software or other incriminating evidence. And even if you were innocent they will keep the devices locked up for years before giving them back, not paying you any compensation for it.

      Just calling a politician “pimmel” on Twitter is enough for that treatment in Germany.

      • hemmes@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        15 days ago

        Yeah, valid point.

        Further more, continuing with your theory, authorities would have something up their sleeve to get a bogus search warrant under the guise that something they intercepted or acquired one way or another, like an email which may even contain regular conversational text - doesn’t even have to be gibberish. They could claim it’s actually encrypted text and seize data and equipment.

    • EisFrei@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      15 days ago

      Well encrypted text should not be distinguishable from random noise. Your example has repeating patterns, so it’s a Caesar cipher at best.

      Stenography is a type of quick writing used mostly in courts or by reporters, you’re thinking of steganography.

      • rbn@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        15 days ago

        In my case, it’s just random letters (I promise!) that I typed manually on the keyboard.

        Regarding steganography you’re of course correct.