You can be forced to turn over your encryption keys?

["Geoffrey C. Grabow" <gcg@pb.net>]

I thought we had a 5th amendment.  Isn't turning over your key that may (or
may not) expose encriminating evidence an extension of self-encrimination?
Haven't there been dozens of famous witnesses (Patty Hurst, Oliver North,
etc) that "take the 5th" dozens of times on the stand.  Why couldn't I
"take the 5th" when asked for my encryption keys?  When asked for your key,
can't you say: "I'm sorry your honor, but I respectfully refuse to answer
that question on the grounds that it may incriminate me.".

Any legal-eagles out there?

 
                                                     G.C.G.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 | Geoffrey C. Grabow       |      Great people talk about ideas.       |
 | Oyster Bay, New York     |     Average people talk about things.     |
 | gcg@pb.net               |      Small people talk about people.      |
 |----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 |     PGP 2.6.2 public key available at http://www.pb.net/~wizard      |
 |          and on a plethora of key servers around the world.          |
 |                          Key ID = 0E818EC1                           |
 |   Fingerprint =  A6 7B 67 D7 E9 96 37 7D  E7 16 BD 5E F4 5A B2 E4    |
 |----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | That which does not kill us, makes us stranger.   - Trevor Goodchild |
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