Re: Gore's "new and improved" key escrow proposal

[Derek Atkins <warlord@MIT.EDU>]

> I have tried to think of a positive use for key escrow.  The only
> thing that I have come up with so far is kind of like having local key
> escrow within one company, or something like that.  Kind of like
> having a master key that fits all the offices in one wing of a
> building, or something like that.  That could be good in some business
> uses, provided you could pick your own trusted master key holder.  I
> don't think that is what Al Gore has in mind.

Actually, I can think of one major use.  If I encrypt my personal
files, I might want my heirs to be able to recover them after my
death.  For example, I might keep my electronically-encrypted will in
escrow, such that upon my death the keys can be obtained and the
document opened.

This does not mean that I implicitly trust the government to escrow my
keys.  However it does mean that there are legitimate uses for
escrowed technology.  I just think that the government shouldn't be in
charge of it, and that citizens have the right to choose the level of
privacy and security that they desire for themselves.

Just to quickly change the topic, and answer someone's question for
earlier today or yesterday (sorry, I've been really hosed and haven't
had a chance to really delve into the flurry of email that I've
received recently)...  Not everyone on this list is an anarchist.  For
example, I do not consider myself an arachist.  I think some
leadership is needed, since not everyone is capable of being a leader,
and I wouldn't trust just anyone to make decisions for me.  I'm on
this list because I value electronic privacy and encryption
technologies, and I believe that the power of encryption will better
enable the common man to hold his (or her) privacy in the electronic
information world.

Anyways, enough spewing.  Enjoy!

-derek

         Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, G MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board (SIPB)
    Home page: http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/warlord/home_page.html
       warlord@MIT.EDU    PP-ASEL     N1NWH    PGP key available