&gt;it&#x27;s really no different than papers in a safe in a person&#x27;s house.<p>That&#x27;s a really bad analogy. Those papers actually exist. Without the key the unencrypted data is just a bunch of random nonsense. It does not exist in any real form.<p>A better analogy is the case where the papers might exist, but are hidden. Can a court compel someone to help the police look for evidence that can be used to incriminate them?