well-publicized "back door" increases the probability that criminals or
other unauthorized users will find a way to break in.
Furthermore, as
Phil Zimmerman (Endnote #35) has pointed out, if most people sent
all their letters on postcards, anyone who used an envelope would look
suspicious. The fact that most of us use envelopes most of the time
increases our reasonable expectation of privacy in our written communications.
Netiquette isn't ready yet to make a call on proper encryption behavior.
But one thing is beyond question: Government intrusion into private
email is
very bad Netiquette.