Fifth Amendment and Encryption

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The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution is typically cited to protect a defendant against self-incrimination and uphold an individual’s right to due process. Defendant’s are often protected from “taking the stand” in a criminal proceeding against them. The due process clause is often cited in an effort to prevent the surrender of self-incriminating evidence. However, with the advent of widespread encryption and the constant fight against illicit content stored on digital media, courts have been forced to reexamine the implications of the Fifth Amendment. The increase in computer use and digital communications has created a unique problem for the legal system in its effort to interpret the Fifth Amendment. Encryption technology is readily available and allows for simple and virtually irreversible scrambling of data to prevent its access by the government. This problem is saliently apparent in the cases of US v. Doe, In Re Boucher, and US v. Fricosu. During the course of investigations, the government in all three cases sought the unencrypted contents of hard drives under the control of defendants. Although the outcome was not the same for all three cases, the courts applied consistent and reasonable logic and case precedent when making their decisions. The Fifth Amendment specifies that no person “shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.” This is interpreted as a clause against self-incrimination, and it is the most significant aspect of the Fifth Amendment that was interpreted by courts considering encryption issues. The Fifth Amendment protects against compelled and incriminatory testimonial communication. When evaluating the implications of encryption, courts have been required to examine these three elements of Fifth Amendment protection and apply them appropriately. The Courts in the Doe, Boucher, and Fricosu

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