And intelligence agencies have been known to retain encrypted content for longer (in theory, forever): http://www.darkreading.com/risk-management/want-nsa-attentio...?
The older I get the more impressed I am with how prescient Scott McNealy was when he said: "You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it."
Still avoiding the UK like the plague right now...
http://www.businessinsider.com/uk-government-not-going-to-ba...
They say that they're not targeting encryption directly, but they still say that they essentially want a back door into all communications systems, which is going to necessitate either getting technology providers to give them one, or banning of those that don't.
(of course it also won't even come close to achieving their goal, but I somehow don't think that'll stop 'em)