----------------------------------------------------------------------------- _____ _____ _______ / ____| __ \__ __| ____ ___ ____ __ | | | | | | | | / __ \____ / (_)______ __ / __ \____ _____/ /_ | | | | | | | | / /_/ / __ \/ / / ___/ / / / / /_/ / __ \/ ___/ __/ | |____| |__| | | | / ____/ /_/ / / / /__/ /_/ / / ____/ /_/ (__ ) /_ \_____|_____/ |_| /_/ \____/_/_/\___/\__, / /_/ \____/____/\__/ The Center for Democracy and Technology /____/ Volume 2, Number 12 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A briefing on public policy issues affecting civil liberties online ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CDT POLICY POST Volume 2, Number 12 March 28, 1996 CONTENTS: (1) Sen. Burns Announces New Bill To Lift Crypto Export Controls (2) Subscription Information (3) About CDT, contacting us This document may be redistributed freely provided it remains in its entirety ** Excerpts may be re-posted by permission (editor@cdt.org) ** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) SENATOR BURNS ANNOUNCES BILL TO LIFT CRYPTO EXPORT CONTROLS The battle to roll back the Clinton Administration's encryption policy escalated on Thursday when Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) announced that he will introduce a new proposal to repeal restrictions on encryption exports and to encourage the growth of electronic commerce. Senator Burns announced the bill via a teleconference during a special session at the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy Conference in Boston, MA. The bill, titled the "Promoting Commerce On-Line in the Digital Age Act" (PROCODE), joins two recent bills introduced earlier this month (S. 1587 and HR 3011) designed to encourage the development of strong, easy-to-use privacy and security products for the Internet. The Burns bill is different from the other proposals in several respects. Specifically, the latest bill does not contain any new criminal provisions or provisions imposing liability on third party key holders. In his presentation today at CFP, Sen. Burns outlined his new bill. Among other things, the "Promoting Commerce On-Line in the Digital Age Act" would: * Allow for the unrestricted export of "mass-market" or "public-domain" encryption programs, including such products as Pretty Good Privacy and popular World Wide Web software. Encryption software and hardware for sale in local software stores or widely available on the Internet would all be exportable under the proposed Act. * Require the Secretary of Commerce to allow the unrestricted export of other encryption technologies if products of similar strength are generally available outside the United States. * Prohibit the Federal Government from imposing mandatory key-escrow encryption policies on the domestic market. * Limit the authority of the Secretary of Commerce to set standards for encryption products. CDT applauds this effort by Senator Burns to put strong privacy and security technologies in the hands of individuals and businesses. CDT is also pleased that the Senator chose the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy Conference as a forum to announce this proposal. The choice of CFP demonstrates that the Internet community is becoming an increasingly important political constituency. CDT looks forward to working with Senator Burns and other members of Congress interested in policies which encourage the development and widespread use of strong privacy protecting technologies for the Global Information Infrastructure. FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on the cryptography policy debate, including the text of Senator Burns' proposal when available, visit CDT's Cryptography Issues Web Page: http://www.cdt.org/crypto/ Contacts: Center for Democracy and Technology +1.202.637.9800 Daniel Weitzner, Deputy Director, <djw@cdt.org> Alan Davidson, Staff Counsel, <abd@cdt.org> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (2) SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Be sure you are up to date on the latest public policy issues affecting civil liberties online and how they will affect you! Subscribe to the CDT Policy Post news distribution list. CDT Policy Posts, the regular news publication of the Center For Democracy and Technology, are received by more than 9,000 Internet users, industry leaders, policy makers and activists, and have become the leading source for information about critical free speech and privacy issues affecting the Internet and other interactive communications media. To subscribe to CDT's Policy Post list, send mail to policy-posts-request@cdt.org with a subject: subscribe policy-posts If you ever wish to remove yourself from the list, send mail to the above address with a subject of: unsubscribe policy-posts ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (3) ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY/CONTACTING US The Center for Democracy and Technology is a non-profit public interest organization based in Washington, DC. The Center's mission is to develop and advocate public policies that advance democratic values and constitutional civil liberties in new computer and communications technologies. Contacting us: General information: info@cdt.org World Wide Web: URL:http://www.cdt.org/ FTP URL:ftp://ftp.cdt.org/pub/cdt/ Snail Mail: The Center for Democracy and Technology 1634 Eye Street NW * Suite 1100 * Washington, DC 20006 (v) +1.202.637.9800 * (f) +1.202.637.0968 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- End Policy Post 2.12 3/28/96 -----------------------------------------------------------------------