I believe (citation needed :-)) there was (is?) restriction on the maximum length of private key. This was arrived at based on the computing resources available

I believe (citation needed :-)) there was (is?) restriction on the maximum length of private key. This was arrived at based on the computing resources available with NSA so that they be able to break a cypher by brute force. There's a very interesting passage in the book "The Code Book" towards the end as to how the inventor of PGP was harassed by slapping him with charges under Arms Export Control Act[1]. Zimmermann's law [2] is also very relevant to be mentioned here. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Zimmermann#Criminal_investigation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Zimmermann#Criminal_invest... [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Zimmermann#Zimmerman.27s_Law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Zimmermann#Zimmerman.27s_L...