Why escrow? (was Re: How would Leahy bill affect crypto

Deranged Mutant WlkngOwl at UNiX.asb.com
Thu Mar 14 05:21:40 PST 1996


On 13 Mar 96 at 15:27, jim bell wrote:
[..]
>                                                            That's why I'm more than a little 
> disturbed about the one really bad portion of the Leahy bill:  The one that 
> makes using encryption to thwart an investigation a crime......

Same here. If crypto becomes commonplace in everything, one may not 
have a choice if one is in the midst of a crime.  And what if the 
"crime" is planning a demonstration that say, interferes with some 
government activity?  You don't want the COINTELPRO busybodies to 
know what you're planning, but when you're arrested it's another 
charge they can throw in.

[..]
> If I were trying to detect government investigation in such a situation, I 
> would buy a crypto phone, open an "escrow account" on a totally voluntary 
> basis, give them a phony key, and then (as part of the 
(presumably?)  [..]

Would it be legal to deceive an escrow agent?

 
Rob. 

---
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