Re: "Key Escrow" --- the very idea

[Aron Freed <s009amf@discover.wright.edu>]

On Fri, 22 Jul 1994, Carl Ellison wrote:

> if you really want to propose an escrow system we can live with,
> I would demand that it include:
> 
> 1.	unambiguous ID of the person being tapped in the LEAF-equivalent
> 2.	multiple escrow agencies, at least one of which is the NSA HQ
> 	(for its superior physical security)
> 3.	watchdogs as escrow agents (e.g., ACLU, Rep & Dem parties, CPSR,
> 	EFF, NYTimes, ...) with authorization to look for abuses of
> 	authority and to refuse to release keys in such cases and to
> 	publicize such cases as well as bringing them to the attention
> 	of law enforcement for prosecution.

In theory this would be nice, but it just takes a gun to someone's head 
to say hand it over... Would you risk your life for other people... And 
once they kill you, it's a matter of searching through the records for 
it. It's not that safe. I rather my private key not be in escrow at all...

> 4.	user-generated escrow keys, to reduce the chance of anyone having a
> 	backdoor way to get the whole escrow key database.
> 

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