UK Government unveils crypto escrow legislation

[John Gilmore]

Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 15:38:10 +0100
From: Malcolm Hutty <cacib at liberty.org.uk>
To: declan at well.com
Subject: UK Government unveils crypto escrow legislation

The UK government has announced legislation designed to force 
escrow of confidentiality keys on UK netizens.

They are planning a licenced system of Certificate Authorities in an 
attempt to force key escrow down the throats of British computer 
users. This could be a model for other governments. The idea is 
that digital signatures get preferential legal treatment if certified by 
a licenced CA, but to get a licence you must escrow confidentiality 
keys.  

The licensing authority will be OFTEL, the telecoms regulator.

You may want to check out this link for full details
http://omnisite.liberty.org.uk/cacib/

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