While Russell agreed that both issues needed to be addressed, he believed that the issues surrounding the proposed non-deterministic signature scheme were more severe. He argued that this proposal would move them from a deterministic scheme where spot checks are possible, to a non-deterministic scheme where spot checks are impossible. Russell's hope was to standardize a scheme that had the advantages of non-determinism without the threat of covert channels.Tim agreed that both issues should be addressed and suggested that now that there is a proposal for Schnorr signatures, it's a good time to work on these issues. The email conversation concluded with an agreement that both issues need to be fully addressed and that working towards a standardized scheme that balances the benefits of non-determinism with security concerns is important moving forward.