passphrases: the police and subkeys scenario

[Rick Valenzuela]

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I'm now confused about creating a separate subkey for encrypting, as
opposed to creating one keypair that signs and encrypts. The example
I've seen around is that if you're set up the subkey way and the police
demand the private part of your key, you don't have to sacrifice your
primary key, which carries all your signatures. (I hope I said that
correctly.)

Well, I understood that as meaning I would have separate passphrases for
the subkey and the primary key: Apparently, that's not possible. So then
how would this police scenario play out? If supposing then that TSA or
some entity forces me to give up my passphrase for decryption purposes,
then I've compromised everything, no?

Trying and thinking,
Rick

- --
Rick Valenzuela
photographer | reporter
+1 267 694 3642 | www.rickv.com
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