diff --git a/runtimes/google/security/publicid_store.go b/runtimes/google/security/publicid_store.go
index b7a3d92..7599143 100644
--- a/runtimes/google/security/publicid_store.go
+++ b/runtimes/google/security/publicid_store.go
@@ -263,9 +263,6 @@
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	if vr == nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("could not construct VerifyingReader for reading params data")
-	}
 	if err := vom.NewDecoder(vr).Decode(&store.state); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/security/serialization/serialization_test.go b/security/serialization/serialization_test.go
index 1b04be0..2a64a7d 100644
--- a/security/serialization/serialization_test.go
+++ b/security/serialization/serialization_test.go
@@ -142,3 +142,32 @@
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestEdgeCases(t *testing.T) {
+	var d, s io.ReadWriteCloser
+	var signer Signer
+	var key security.PublicKey
+
+	for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
+		d, s = &bufferCloser{}, &bufferCloser{}
+		signer = newSigner()
+		key = signer.PublicKey()
+
+		switch i {
+		case 0:
+			d = nil
+		case 1:
+			s = nil
+		case 2:
+			signer = nil
+			key = nil
+		}
+		matchErr := "cannot be nil"
+		if _, err := NewSigningWriteCloser(d, s, signer, nil); !matchesErrorPattern(err, matchErr) {
+			t.Errorf("NewSigningWriter(%p, %p, %p, ...) returned: %v, want to match: %v", d, s, signer, err, matchErr)
+		}
+		if _, err := NewVerifyingReader(d, s, key); !matchesErrorPattern(err, matchErr) {
+			t.Errorf("NewVerifyingReader(%p, %p, %p) returned: %v, want to match: %v", d, s, key, err, matchErr)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/security/serialization/signing_writer.go b/security/serialization/signing_writer.go
index 3e86f96..85c71f7 100644
--- a/security/serialization/signing_writer.go
+++ b/security/serialization/signing_writer.go
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 	"bytes"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"encoding/binary"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"hash"
 	"io"
@@ -90,8 +89,8 @@
 // * A Close call writes a signature (computed using the provided signer) of
 //   all the hashes written, and then closes the data and signature WriteClosers.
 func NewSigningWriteCloser(data, signature io.WriteCloser, s Signer, opts *Options) (io.WriteCloser, error) {
-	if (data == nil) || (signature == nil) {
-		return nil, errors.New("data or signature WriteCloser is nil")
+	if (data == nil) || (signature == nil) || (s == nil) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("data:%v signature:%v signer:%v cannot be nil", data, signature, s)
 	}
 	w := &signingWriter{data: data, signature: signature, signer: s, signatureHash: sha256.New(), chunkSizeBytes: defaultChunkSizeBytes, sigEnc: vom.NewEncoder(signature)}
 
diff --git a/security/serialization/verifying_reader.go b/security/serialization/verifying_reader.go
index 67908a1..d70cd7d 100644
--- a/security/serialization/verifying_reader.go
+++ b/security/serialization/verifying_reader.go
@@ -44,11 +44,8 @@
 // a signer corresponding to the provided public key), and has not been modified
 // since (ensuring integrity and authenticity of data).
 func NewVerifyingReader(data, signature io.Reader, key security.PublicKey) (io.Reader, error) {
-	if (data == nil) && (signature == nil) {
-		return nil, nil
-	}
-	if (data == nil) || (signature == nil) {
-		return nil, errors.New("data or signature Reader is nil")
+	if (data == nil) || (signature == nil) || (key == nil) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("data:%v signature:%v key:%v cannot be nil", data, signature, key)
 	}
 	r := &verifyingReader{data: data}
 	if err := r.verifySignature(signature, key); err != nil {
diff --git a/services/wsprd/identity/identity.go b/services/wsprd/identity/identity.go
index b7b0f32..d78cfe9 100644
--- a/services/wsprd/identity/identity.go
+++ b/services/wsprd/identity/identity.go
@@ -85,14 +85,14 @@
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	if (data == nil) || (signature == nil) {
+		// No serialized data exists, returning an empty IDManager.
+		return result, nil
+	}
 	vr, err := serialization.NewVerifyingReader(data, signature, rt.Identity().PublicKey())
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	if vr == nil {
-		// No serialized data exists, returning aan empty IDManager.
-		return result, nil
-	}
 	if err := vom.NewDecoder(vr).Decode(&result.state); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}