Trouble is brewing for privacy lovers in the great white north. After some troubling news was published this week in regards to a Canadian citizen pleading guilty for not giving his password to a Canadian customs agent when returning from vacation.

Alain Philippon pleads guilty over smartphone password border dispute

A Quebec man who refused to give his smartphone password to border officials at Halifax Stanfield International Airport last year has pleaded guilty and been fined $500.

Alain Philippon, of Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., had said he would fight the charge of hindering or obstructing border officials, but changed course Monday morning when his lawyer entered a guilty plea on his behalf in provincial court in Dartmouth, N.S.

More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/alain-philippon-to-plead-guilty-cellphone-1.3721110

Being a privacy advocate and encryption enthusiast like many on this site I find this news incredibly troubling. A border agent with no warrant should not be able to order me to give them access to my epic collection of dick pic selfies and drunken texts. I guess my email and bank info are important too.

If that weren't bad enough we now have the Police Chiefs association crying for the right to compel citizens across the country to reveal their passwords.

Police chiefs want new law that would compel people to reveal passwords

Canada's police chiefs want a new law that would force people to hand over their electronic passwords with a judge's consent.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has passed a resolution calling for the legal measure to unlock digital evidence, saying criminals increasingly use encryption to hide illicit activities.

There is nothing currently in Canadian law that would compel someone to provide a password to police during an investigation, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Joe Oliver told a news conference Tuesday

More at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/passwords-rcmp-compel-iphone-1.3723325

Luckily products like veracrypt provide a solution for such situations. It is possible to setup a fake encrypted volume that can be unlocked using another password so it will appear that you have indeed complied. Excuse me while I go setup some hidden volumes.