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If you pleaded the fifth on your password, the court might be able to compel you to enter the password such that they don’t get the password but do get the data.

The next question is, if doing so immediately decrypts a file (e.g. a text file) which is a direct admission of guilt, can you plead the fifth against the decryption process itself, esp. if the government isn’t already aware that such a “guilt declaration” exists?



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