Data which could either be left on some shelf to gather dust or data which could bring regimes and political systems down. As we are hurled deeper into the vortex of the Information Age, issues of electronic security are a major concern for governments, corporations and even the private individual. Investigation of computer crimes is fast becoming another branch of law enforcement. Criminal activity involving digital technology is far more pervasive than what the media has been reporting. The best defense is the use of encryption software.
Encryption software generates a random numerical code.
This code is similar to a key that has been broken into two parts. The key that is used by others to encrypt messages to you is the public key. The private key is the one you use to decipher those messages and the one you guard with secrecy. And secrets kept by criminals are a headache for government, security and law enforcement agencies. Civil libertarians and ordinary citizens are up in arms over the precedent the clipper chip will set for the ominous beginnings of a police state.