strong crypto => increase in rubber-hose attacks?

[jim@bilbo.suite.com (Jim Miller)]

I remember seeing a news report a while back that said the number of violent  
car thefts has increased because more people are using sophisticated car alarms  
and/or car tracking devices.

According to the news report, instead of breaking into cars when the owners  
were away, car thieves would wait until the owner shows up and deactivates the  
car alarm.  The thieves then pounce on the owner, killing or severely injuring  
him/her, and take the car.

Regardless of the actually magnitude of this problem (the media would call  
increase of 1 a major new trend) this did get me to thinking.


Assume you use strong crypto to protect your secrets.

Assume a lot of people start using crypto to protect their secrets.

Assume there are people who want to discover these secrets.


Might we some day see an increase in the number physical attacks as bad guys  
resort to rubber-hose methods to get at the keys that protect the secrets?

Don't get me wrong, I'm still in favor of using strong crypto.  I'm just  
wondering about some of the social implications.


Jim_Miller@suite.com