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

[Deranged Mutant]

On 14 Mar 96 at 19:41, jim bell wrote:


> >Of course that depends how you give your key to an escrow agent. If 
> >it's already escrowed when you buy a phone, for instance...
> 
> That's the real danger with any such legislation.  Individuals can generally 
> only get things that are manufactured for sale.  (You can't buy a car with a 
> 7-cylinder engine, for instance...)  If manufacturers are dissuaded from 
> building a good crypto telephone, then key-escrow can be as "voluntary" as 
> you want and you still won't be able to exercise your rights. 

You might sill be able to buy an unescrowed crypto-phone. If forgeign 
companies start selling them, then the gov't will have a hard time 
preventing domestic companies from manufacturing them and exporting 
them (in theory...) under the legislation.

Rob. 

---
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