From: Jacob Levy I respect your feelings on the matter and your ability to think clearly and with great foresight also :-), but for this list it would probably be much more useful if we got some _OFFICIAL_ answer from Microsoft instead of your "I believe, I cannot think, can't see", etc. etc. You're obviously a concerned individual but you equally obviously don't claim to speak for Microsoft. ................................................ Thanks, Jacob. I don't speak for Microsoft, but I can speak based on impressions I have accumulated from internal correspondence between employees and misc. company communications to employees. The company would suffer turmoil from within, if it were the case that privacy had been compromised. Programmers are just like you & me, right? Anyway, I personally can't see the very existence of a system of key escrow is an evil which should be apprehended and stopped. In concert with the idea of liberty & freedom to develop ideas and export crypto, I think the best offense is a good defense. I would oppose the idea that anyone should be stopped from developing creative ideas on the principle that it would be contrary to the existence of intelligence on the planet. I would oppose it if the government promoted it, and I would oppose it if any one else did, also. Blanc