Encryption and the global information infrastructure: An Australian perspective

Abstract

Debate on encryption in Global Information Infrastructures has been complicated by issues relating to law enforcement. This paper looks at a technique for limiting the use of anonymous cash for illicit purposes to an acceptable level. It also argues that the majority of users will not require high level encryption systems to protect their privacy and hence would not require the keys to their encryption schemes to be escrowed. It proposes a scheme of Differential Key Escrow (DKE) where only the keys of high level encryption systems used by government and larger corporations would be held in escrow by the organisation.