Really? I'm sorry, but this just struck a nerve. You feel safe hiding behind the theoretical/practical integrity of a cryptographic library? I'm almost tempted

Really? I'm sorry, but this just struck a nerve. You feel safe hiding behind the theoretical/practical integrity of a cryptographic library? I'm almost tempted to link the requisite XKCD cartoon. I think ensuring private communication for all people, regardless of technical means of ensuring secret communication serves us all, including those, like you, who feel safe with their already existing measures. If a precedent is set that allows a government the power and right to spy indiscriminately everyone's privacy is dimished including those who are avid PGP users. Besides, once that step is taken the next logical conclusion is to simply demand you provide pass phrases and private keys for any encrypted communication as is the case in other countries [1]. Besides, information leaks by other means, which might be used to circumvent encryption. Man-in-the-middle attacks or simply targeting a weak end point in a communication stream. Colleagues might not be as adamant about security and their end of the communication might come under scrutiny. Besides, unless all electronic devices are electromagnetically shielded TEMPEST and other similar attacks are still possible. Once the door is open to monitoring or surveillance all bets are off as to how they accomplish this, and it might be through means that render current cryptographic libraries useless. Even assuming a perfect means of ensuring a message is sent unseen, the patterns of communications themselves can yield a significant amount of information. Even if governments can't tell what the contents of a message the fact a communication existed (a carefully protected communication at that) might be used against people, never mind if they're to trace the communication or establish contact frequency. It also reminds me of the mechanisms used look for errant behavior patterns. Targeting people that use only cash, don't have credit cards or those who simply fall outside of the established behavior patterns. Monitoring of everyone else's communications establishes sufficient data to single further target people and erode their privacy. Target was able to determine when clients were pregnant by simply analyzing shopping patterns [2]. It also reminds me of how Germany dealt with the Baader Meinhof group, by screening for "seemingly mundane items as utility bills" to establish probable cause for detention or investigation. Once we're all under surveillance the government won't even need to read everything we write to further erode our privacy. By fighting for better privacy protection for all I think we make our own private communications safer. 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_disclosure_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_disclosure_law 2. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.h... edit: grammar and expanding out a few ideas.