The average Internet user hasn't exactly seemed alarmed by that possibility, however. The FBI uses Carnivore to tap electronic mail communications in criminal investigations. The system is installed on the network of a suspect's ISP, where it catches all users' email before culling the target communications. News about the system has been plentiful of late. But like Antivore, the Privada offering is not new, only newly spun in the aftermath of Carnivore.
People are frightened of the possibility of having the government read their email.
Steele said the FBI has asked the company for basic information on Antivore, and hopes their interest can even lead to a partnership. In fact, we'd like to propose a bundling of Antivore and Carnivore. ChainMail is touting the results of a recent survey commissioned by an NBC affiliate in Richmond, Virginia. In an informal telephone poll of approximately 500 area residents, surveyors found that 83 percent of respondents wanted their email encrypted. But despite potential reaction to Carnivore, these companies will have to jumpstart a lackadaisical public appetite for secure email if they're going to be successful.