🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov15.055114.12777@colnet.cmhnet.org> res@colnet.cmhnet.org (Rob Stampfli) writes:
>In article <1992Nov13.193629.14615@watson.ibm.com> uri@watson.ibm.com (Uri Blumenthal,35-016,8621267,) writes:
>>2. Yes, there is a difference between the "things" and "information".

>This is fundamentally different than the proposal of Dr. Denning which
>demands a key be produced for safekeeping before the fact.  I disagree
>with that approach, finding it in violation of several of the precepts
>in the Bill of Rights.  Incidently, I also disagree with the assertion
>of Mr. Ritter that people should be charged with retaining their keys
>indefinitely.  Destroying "evidence" before one has reason to believe
>it is of legal value is hardly a crime, and pitching the key that decrypts
>a casual email message is no more "destroying evidence" than throwing
>out an old letter you have no need for any more.

There are certain records that you must retain and make available on request.
Specifically the government (or more specifically the IRS, Revenue Canada
or whatever your local tax department is called) can demand to see your 
records for some specific period of time. Seven years? I think these records
if kept on a computer system would be suitable candidates for encryption
but if requested you would be foolish not to decrypt and provide them.

On the other hand there are no real crypto issues here. Not providing them
because you have lost the key or just don't want to falls into about the same 
category as loosing the physical records. I.e. you are in bigtime trouble if 
they want to make an issue out of it. It may be less of a problem to take the
rap for not providing the records but don't bet on it.

On the other hand it seems that other elements of encryption might be of
interest to the same goverment agencies. Digital signatures are good evidence
of authorship. If they where required on all electronic transactions it becomes
easier for them to follow the audit trail. No sense in claiming that a record
didn't originate from you if it was signed with your digital signature.

Secure and protected communications can be a benefit to the government as well
as the rest of us.

-- 
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