R. David Murry suggests-

...someone else may already have brought this up, but...

A government mandante for key-escrow encryption in all communication devices would be the information-age equivalent of the government requiring private citizens to quarter troups in their home.

One of (Michael) "Swaine's Flames" in a recent Dr. Dobb's had this angle. It was an imaginary trial about a government-mandated anti-virus-virus. Zeke Palmer says-

I suspect that you'd have a lot of trouble convincing the technologically ignorant that something electronic could be at all like quartering troops in your home.

I'm not sure the unwashed will be wildly enthusiastic about this idea, but then they did seem to be against Clipper in that Newsweek poll. In any case it's a good principle: people and businesses shouldn't be required or even asked to install government peacekeeping or law-enforcing equipment in their homes. It also applies to the proposals that telephone companies be required to put provisions for wiretaps into their equipment. -fnerd quote me - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - and i dreamed i was flying high up above my eyes could clearly see the statue of liberty sailing away to sea --Paul Simon -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.3a aKxB8nktcBAeQHabQP/d7yhWgpGZBIoIqII8cY9nG55HYHgvt3niQCVAgUBLMs3K ui6XaCZmKH68fOWYYySKAzPkXyfYKnOlzsIjp2tPEot1Q5A3/n54PBKrUDN9tHVz 3Ch466q9EKUuDulTU6OLsilzmRvQJn0EJhzd4pht6hSnC1R3seYNhUYhoJViCcCG sRjLQs4iVVM= =9wqs -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----