Bitcoin Forum

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/security.png
bitcoin is not the problem, the user is...

NO IT ISNT!!!!1!!!11  >:(

BUT COMPUTERS ARE BROKEN!!!!11!!1 NO ONE CAN UNDERSTAND ALL THOSE 0'S and 1'S´!!!!

This raises one of my favourite points about bitcoin: it's secure even against physical coercion.

If you commit two private keys to memory, you can reveal the one that holds no value.  There is no way for an attacker to know that they really have every key you know.

true. But he could keep on going, until he gets the big prize, or you die...

If you try hard enough, you can build plausible deniability into anything, bitcoin being no exception.

You could always do the hollowed tooth trick and break the cyanide gas capsule taking the torturers with you. I think I saw that in a movie somewhere.

You can create dead man switches that will take care of your Bitcoins if you or your loved ones are physically coerced.

Easy way: Buy flash drive+fingerprint scanner
Hack together the two devices in such a way the fingerprint scanner does nothing.
Tell them you  have to do it because the fingerprint scanner has advanced biometrics and can tell when you are stressed.
Step on flash drive.

Don't be such a wuss, thermite is the only way to go.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rdCsbZf1_Ng#t=195s

Still there is no plausible deniability if you are walking around w/ a gold bar, a bag full of cash, or wallet full of credit cards.

So even some plausible deniability is a good thing.  Imagine a android wallet which when given one passphrase reveals one wallet (w/ small # of coins) and when given another wallet reveals a second hidden wallet w/ larger amount of coins.

"Look I'll unlock the wallet the pin is 1234.  It's only 20 BTC (hopefully BTC isn't worth $100K at that time :)  No need for anyone to get hurt".

Go home use backup copy of wallet to transfer funds of 2nd wallet into a new one then purchase a better handgun (or assault droid all depends which century we are talking about).

Maybe the next iphone will have a built in derringer.

Nice wrench you have there sonny.

This here is a Sig Sauer 9mm.

Now, you were saying you wanted my Bitcoins?

Of course; but that's true of torture for any purpose.  I'm making the assumption that the torturer isn't merely a psychopath, that they have purpose.  In which case, how can they ever know if there isn't more to be told; and conversely how can they ever know that they have found all that there is to find?  Remember their goal isn't your death (that would be easy to achieve), it is the big prize.

Once your attacker has your ATM PIN, that's game over.  Once your attacker has a bitcoin key... there is still a chance you can claw somthing back.

(This is all very "secret agent", and I don't really anticipate this ever being important; but it does demonstrate how much better bitcoins are than other forms of value storage).

Is it possible to build a system of deterrence protection against extorsion?

Example: The attacker don't even come to you in the first place because you could have locked your Bitcoins even from your own access. Like a savings account, locked in time.

Discussed in this thread: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=46489.msg553632#msg553632 (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=46489.msg553632#msg553632)

It's a little bit complicated, maybe using nLockTime is easier?

It's much more difficult when both the laptop and the user is broken.

Easy solution and what I have implemented, see TrueCrypt hidden operating system.

1 password accesses the real OS that your trying to hide, another password accesses a decoy OS, and I believe you can actually set up more than 1 decoy OS. Give them the decoy password.