An experts' study of the risks presented by key escrow and key recovery was released this morning and is now available on the Web at http://www.crypto.com/key_study/ Thought some of you folks might find this interesting. Regards, Alan ----------------- THE RISKS OF KEY RECOVERY, KEY ESCROW, AND TRUSTED THIRD PARTY ENCRYPTION Report By Leading Cryptographers and Computer Scientists Says Government Encryption Plan Is Risky and Impractical On Wednesday May 21, a group of leading cryptographers and computer scientists released a report examining the risks and implications of government-driven key-recovery systems. The report cautions that, "The deployment of a general key-recovery-based encryption infrastructure to meet law enforcement's stated requirements will result in substantial sacrifices in security and cost to the end user. Building a secure infrastructure of the breathtaking scale and complexity demanded by these requirements is far beyond the experience and current competency of the field." The report's authors, recognized leaders in the fields of cryptography and computer science, include Hal Abelson, Ross Anderson, Steven M. Bellovin, Josh Benaloh, Matt Blaze, Whitfield Diffie, John Gilmore, Peter G. Neumann, Ronald L. Rivest, Jeffery I. Schiller, and Bruce Schneier. HOW TO OBTAIN A COPY OF THE REPORT The report is available online at http://www.crypto.com/key_study/ and printed copies will also be available through the Center for Democracy and Technology. FOR MORE INFORMATION If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Alan Davidson at CDT, 202.637.9800 <abd@cdt.org>.