Re: COTSE? (off on a tangent ...)

From: LLFormat (dev-null_at_localhost.localdomain)
Date: 06/26/03 

Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 18:11:55 +0100

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 08:49:47 -0400, StopinDaSpam typed the following stuff
:

> Hmmm, one word comes to mind. Carnivore.

I thought about replying with something witty like ;

"Here's another. Encryption". I'm glad I didn't as I'm sure to have
misunderstood your post, and I've no desire to start an argument with
people who probably know more about computer security topics than I ever
will.

I know this is off-topic regarding the original posters' message, but I'm
curious as to how one would avoid the 'Carnivore' trap.

Would encrypting emails attract 'unwanted' attention in the first place ?
As (hopefully) the encryption could not be broken, would the composer of
the mail in question face two or more years in the slammer for *not*
handing over the passphrase ?

I'm asking this as I've been a PGP fan for years. More recently, I've
become something of a GPG fan on Linux.

I'd love to use encryption more, just to be sneaky, but I'm nearly always
faced with the following problems :

1) Most people I communicate with using email, would most likely think that
PGP is a new brand of tea.

2) Or those with slightly longer experience with computers would say;

"Why would you want to encrypt emails ? What are you hiding ?"

Annoying, but a fact of life for me.

Regards,

LLFormat.