Since there are more and more traffic on the Internet, the protection of one's privacy in the cyberspace is becoming more and more important. The using of cryptography is the most common way to protect one's own confidential documents. There are other applications of cryptography, such as firewalls, which are used to protect one's computer system from being broken into.

The more powerful an encryption system is, the harder it is for others to break the code. This is advantageous in terms of security and privacy. However, from the standpoint of law enforcement, the availability of a powerful encryption system has its own implications. In order for the government to be able to access the contents of encrypted documents or communication whenever necessary, a bill regarding the use of key recovery system was recently approved by the Senate Commerce Committee. This so-called McCain-Kerrey Bill claims, as a main purpose, to regulate certificate authorities (CAs). However, we think that this bill uses different measures to virtually force encryption users to adopt key recovery systems. Furthermore, the Bill may violate the privacy and certain constitutional rights of the people. We also think that a key recovery system of the scale envisioned by the McCain-Kerrey Bill is next to impossible to implement. When and if implemented, the system will be costly to operate, and will have vulnerable points that are targets for criminals.