However, law enforcement trying to track criminals through the Net might get burned by Zero Knowledge. In recent cases, including the hunt for the writer of the Melissa virus, government and civil prosecutors have used subpoenas to open up the databases of Internet service providers and obtain information on suspects' identities and actions. Thus, even a subpoena won't make a difference. That's a definite problem for law enforcement officers accustomed to using a subpoena as a skeleton key. The situation will only escalate, said EPIC's Rotenberg.
Fewer lawsuits mean smaller legal bills.
Michael Froomkin, a professor of law at the University of Miami and expert on the constitutional right to anonymous speech, agreed. And it's unlikely that they will be able to make anonymous speech online illegal. However, he adds that law enforcement could try to use current encryption export laws to limit the distribution of the Freedom Network software. Zero Knowledge has carefully designed its system to skirt the minefields of export law, said Hill. I think there will be some initial lawsuits that prove you can't subpoena us.