Adam Back writes:
The problem is that pgp5.x is both an email encryption system and a file encryption system. So PGP Inc argue that they need the recovery features for files. Well OK, but for emails in transit?
Define "in transit". Specifically, when exactly does email stop being "in transit". When it is received on a mail server? Transfered to the destination computer? Displayed to the user? Saved in an archive? How long might a piece of email spend "in transit"? Compare and contrast with the amount of time a piece of data from an encrypted phone call spends in transit. Or an SSL protected HTTPS web transaction. Do you understand the difference between transit times of a fraction of a second and of days or weeks? Does this suggest any differences in the need for recovery of encrypted data "in transit"? Not all communications are alike. The longer data spends "in transit" the more need there is for recovery features.