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Re:CertiVox confirms it withdrew PrivateSky after GCHQ issue... by rayiner on Thursday December 12, 2013 @09:35AM (#6894588)
> This does mean that the UK is now on the list, along with the US, of places where no credible crypto startup is possible, though.

I can think of very few developed countries that, when the rubber hits the road, will let you do what you want. Taking measures to aid official police or court investigations is simply an implied obligation in most countries with developed legal systems. Very few countries will tolerate service providers whose raison d'etre is "we won't cooperate with the authorities" except in limited situations like off-shore banking when the primary purpose is to hide assets or information from people in other countries.

This isn't specific to crypto or police investigations either. Say you want to start an accounting firm that guarantees it will never share your records if subpoenaed in a civil lawsuit. This would never fly in the U.S., not now or one hundred years ago, and while I'm not super familiar with European law, I can't imagine it would fly in any western European country either.

Re:CertiVox confirms it withdrew PrivateSky after GCHQ issue... by rdl on Friday December 13, 2013 @05:01PM (#6903156)
I think it falls into three groups for communications providers:

1) Laws like CALEA, which (if applicable) require a provider to develop and expose backdoors to the government in advance of a request

2) Building systems where an operator doesn't have access, but where a court order can compel changes to the system, including ultimately shutting it down.

3) Being able to build a system where operator doesn't have access to data, and upon a request, if no data can be turned over, continues operating. Must turn over any data which you do have.

4) No requirement to cooperate, or something equiv to 4th/5th A protections for the end user being extended to service providers.

I used to think the US was #3. I don't believe #4 exists anywhere, at least outside specific kinds of data (medical, legal). The US is at least #2 now, and might actually be #1 in more and more domains.