One fact that people seem to be ignoring is that SSL private keys are used for authentication. Having an SSL private key doesn't automatically give you access

One fact that people seem to be ignoring is that SSL private keys are used for authentication. Having an SSL private key doesn't automatically give you access to a user's data; it gives you the ability to impersonate a trusted person/site, which can have the effect of fooling users into handing over their data. Has anyone analyzed whether the government has the authority to compel you to help them impersonate you? From what I can tell, that's central to the private key issue. [Edit: Yes, you can passively eavesdrop if you're not negotiating a TLS ciphersuite with forward secrecy. Added "automatically" to clarify.]