The only way something like PDDB would work in practice to help the people intended, is for the software to become very widely used. For example, where everyone stores their pornography in a PDDB.
In that case, you would also store some porn in your PDDB, and would give up the password to that with little coercion. If they can't then prove the existence of more information, then you might be let go without too much damage.
Obviously, you shouldn't be storing porn that is illegal in your (or most other) jurisdictions in the first level of your PDDB.
In any event, good luck trying to get even a fraction of normal users to install and use this software. Even if all the Linux distros include it by default, I don't think that would be enough, that would just widen the target to "all Linux users" in oppressive country A.
Widespread use does not help the user: whoever wants their secrets will still insist on production of ever more secrets whenever the user is found to be using a PDDB.
Widespread use can only help if that widespread use leads the State to accept it and that it should not insist on production of secrets from PDDBs. However, how likely do you think that would be??
> Widespread use can only help if that widespread use leads the State to accept it and that it should not insist on production of secrets from PDDBs. However, how likely do you think that would be??
Not likely.
At this point, if you want to hide secrets from the state, I think you'd be better off finding some place to stash a micro-SD card. Those things are so tiny and easy to lose in the best of circumstances...
The only way something like PDDB would work in practice to help the people intended, is for the software to become very widely used. For example, where everyone stores their pornography in a PDDB.
In that case, you would also store some porn in your PDDB, and would give up the password to that with little coercion. If they can't then prove the existence of more information, then you might be let go without too much damage.
Obviously, you shouldn't be storing porn that is illegal in your (or most other) jurisdictions in the first level of your PDDB.
In any event, good luck trying to get even a fraction of normal users to install and use this software. Even if all the Linux distros include it by default, I don't think that would be enough, that would just widen the target to "all Linux users" in oppressive country A.