Access to keys (was: A rock and a hard place? Ministry of Defence | Defence News | MOD confirms loss of recruitment data)

[Ian Batten]

On 18 Feb 08, at 1731, Nicholas Bohm wrote:

> Ian Batten wrote:
>
>> ob.crypto: who controls your keys, when you can't?
>
> Access to my PC will die with me (or if I become unable to get into  
> it myself) (unless there's been some very intrusive surveillance  
> going on).

Which is fine, for some cases, but less fine as time goes by and the  
records end up on computers.  For example, I think it would be anti- 
social to say that access to all the photographs I've taken between  
about 2000 and when I die, including most of the `family'  
photographs, would die with me.  And if someone had to deal with a  
power of attorney for me, access to most of my billing is via the  
computer and its keys.

>
> This may be a nuisance, but the alternatives seem to me worse.   
> There's enough paper around to identify the third parties who know  
> what the assets are; the liabilities will find their own way home.

We've not had a paper bank statement for getting on for five years;  
ditto most of the utility bills.

ian