And that's a problem. Communications with spouses, lawyers, clergy and physicians ought to be absolutely privileged. The disadvantages of doing so are outweighed by the advantages.
Frankly, I don't think anyone should be compelled to give testimony for the prosecution (I am okay with the defense being able to compel testimony). If someone has knowledge of a crime, but disagrees that it should be a crime, he should be free to keep his mouth shut.
> It is seductive when I hear someone say, “Absolute privacy is the paramount value. Our devices are designed to ensure that privacy is absolute in America.” Then, I stop and I step back and I realize, “You know, we’ve actually never lived that way. That is a different way to live.”
It's a better way to live.
> That’s criminals not caught, that’s evidence not found, that’s sentences that are far, far shorter for pedophiles and others because judges can’t see the true scope of their activity.
That is a price to pay, but it is IMHO worth it, Those of us who support strong encryption shouldn't be disingenuous and deny that it exists; rather, we should be forthright about it.
Frankly, strong encryption is out of the bag. You can roll a secure cypher by hashing a key with 0, then 1, then 2, and XORing that stream with your message.