From: wcs@anchor.ho.att.com (bill.stewart@pleasantonca.ncr.com +1-510-484-6204)
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 94 22:50:54 PST
To: jmueller@gac.edu
Subject: Re:  Hey...
Message-ID: <9403150650.AA14767@anchor.ho.att.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> well-placed explosive device that destroys even one of the two escrow
> databases, and suddenly the government has supplied us with
> secure encryption that even they can't break.  
>     Of course, that is assuming that the government didn't lie and make 
> extra backup copies (just for safety's sake, you understand, against just

Any reasonable information-escrow agent *would* take reasonable precautions
against disasters like fires, floods, power problems, etc., and the fact
that what the government agencies are doing with the wiretap keys
isn't escrow, just storage, doesn't change that.  Doesn't require any
lying, because that's proper care of information and thet'd be criticized
very stongly for failing to do so.

On the other hand, if there's a mysterious narco-terrorist fire and they
*claim* that all the copies were burned up, the little shreds of belief
that get past my normal skepticism will have no chance at all.....

			Bill