A start-up is set to release a novel messaging service that lets people send heavily encrypted email directly to each other, a development that could be a boon for privacy advocates but a headache for law enforcement authorities.

AbsoluteFuture.com of Bellvue, Wash., has dubbed its service "SafeMessage," describing it as a "direct messaging" service that transmits messages from party to party without the use of a central server.

This distinction is significant because email, which always passes through mail servers, leaves a trace copy of itself that can be subpoenaed, read or otherwise accessed by unauthorized readers.

Besides bypassing a central server, the messages are heavily encrypted and are programmed to be automatically erased after a period of time designated by the sender. The encryption not only prevents outsiders from reading the message, but also limits the message recipient's ability to forward, cut and paste, or print the message.

Slashdot | Censorship - Libraries and the Internet?.

Political News from Wired News - Feds: Digital Cash Can Thwart Us. A confidential Treasury Department report wants to force insurers and travel agents to report 'suspicious' financial activities. The feds fret that the Net and e-cash will interfere with agents' ability to monitor Americans' activities.

Technology News from Wired News - Protesters Try to NAB Spotlight. Free-speech advocates and media watchdogs hold a rally outside the National Association of Broadcasters' Radio Show conference. They claim that media mergers and corporate influence are quieting community voices.

Business News from Wired News - Whose Credit Is It Anyway?. When a company that produces credit reports pressured E-Loan to stop allowing customers to see their scores, folks stood up and took notice. The FTC was among those backing a congressman's bill to give customers the right to know where they stand [ ... ]

"You can't keep something like this proprietary," E-Loan CEO Larsen added. "Right now, you can't even tell if there's an error in your score. What are you supposed to do if there's a problem with it?"

New York Times - free registration required "Cat" scanning device may track users online. Privacy advocates are investigating the device, known as the CueCat, and its ability to snoop on consumers while swiping bar codes printed in catalogs and magazines or on products. Researchers say the scanner, produced by DigitalConvergence, makes use of an identifying serial number that could trace the actions of an individual user and create a detailed database on a specific device's usage.

Newsbytes - Privacy Concerns Over Australian E-Health Network Rise.

There have been a number of calls for a slow-down in the implementation of an Australia-wide electronic health network as consumer groups and privacy advocates become concerned over the security and uses made of patients' medical information.

Driven by Australia's Department of Health, the network is scheduled to be up and running by the middle of 2001, the Federal Government has said.

The initiative is part of Australia's drive to bring government services, like taxes, registrations and other citizen-government interactions, online over the next few years.