§ Mr. Michael BrownTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to introduce a key escrow into Britain's telecommunications industry. [18482]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorWhile there are no specific plans to introduce key-escrow services into our telecommunications system, discussions are taking place between Government Departments on the provision of encryption services on these networks. Such discussions will seek to balance the legitimate commercial needs of the business community, for secure and confidential communications, with those of the law enforcement authorities. Key retrieval services therefore, via a network of trusted third parties, are one of the issues being considered.