Do you have to find something in your deck?

[paint panic]

More precisely, when a card states that you may search your deck for something, can you choose not to find it?

In another recent ATM thread, BDS provided this answer:

When searching your deck, which is an area that is not public knowledge, you may choose to "not find" a card, even if it is there. Since the deck is not public knowledge, your opponent cannot contest the fact that you "don't find" something.

BDS

This seems to contradict previous rulings listed in the Compendium, namely:

== ENERGY EVOLUTION (Eevee - Neoiscovery; Eevee - EX:Unseen Forces )
Q. Say I attach a Water Energy to Eevee and do "Energy Evolution". I want to find a Vaporeon-EX, but unfortunately I only have a regular Vaporeon in my deck. Do I have to attach the regular Vaporeon to Eevee?
A. Yes, since you searched your deck you MUST attach some kind of Water evolution of Eevee if you have one in your deck, even if it isn't the particular one you wanted. (Jan 26, 2006 PUI Rules Team)

As BDS said, the deck is not public knowledge, and this Compendium ruling would be significantly more difficult to enforce. Can I get a definitive answer on this?

 

[PokePop]

The old ruling is out of date. It has been superceeded by the ruling BDS references.
You can fail a deck search on purpose.