>I'm referring to the analogy to "photocopying snail-mail letters." The analogy is that anybody who intercepts and stores encrypted communication data, has a

>I'm referring to the analogy to "photocopying snail-mail letters." The analogy is that anybody who intercepts and stores encrypted communication data, has a kind of Schrodinger's Cat photo-copied letter. If at some later date they acquire the encryption key, then they have a photo-copied letter never intended for them. If they don't acquire the key, they don't have a letter. (Or perhaps they still do 'have a letter' they just can't read it, that's kind of a metaphysical question)