======================================================================== __ _________ __ \ \ / /_ _\ \ / / Voters Telecommunications Watch \ \ / / | | \ \ /\ / / (vtw@vtw.org) \ V / | | \ V V / May 2, 1996 \_/ |_| \_/\_/ Redistribute only until 5/28/96 SENATORS FIRE BROADSIDE SALVO AT CLINTON ADMINISTRATION'S HEINOUS AND ANTIQUATED ENCRYPTION EXPORT POLICIES Please widely redistribute this document with this banner intact until May 28, 1996 ________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS The Latest News Chronology of the 1996 Crypto Bills For More Information ________________________________________________________________________ THE LATEST NEWS Today, a core contingent of the US Senate proposed legislation that would free public domain software such as Phil Zimmerman's PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), allow for the export of products that have competitive encryption abroad, and limit the government's ability to propose another Clipper-style standard. The latest proposal, sponsored by Sen. Burns (R-MT) is the third in a series of bills this year that blatantly attack the Clinton Administration's policies of restricting the export of encryption that is already found outside the United States. Text of the legislation is now available on http://www.crypto.com/ and http://www.vtw.org/ as soon as we get it. In another bold move, Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have scheduled online chats to discuss this legislation with the people who understand the issue the best: the net community. As a part of the Whistlestop96 campaign by VTW and CDT (Center for Democracy and Technology) to bring members of Congress in touch with the net community during the 1996 campaigns, Senators Burns and Leahy will be attending live online chat sessions on HotWired and America Online. The schedule as currently available is: Sen. Burns America Online, News Room auditorium: Monday May 6, 9pm EST Hotwired: Monday May 13, 9pm EST Sen. Leahy America Online: date not yet available Hotwired: date not yet available In addition, volunteers have begun maintaining a resource page at http://www.crypto.com/ with a corresponding mailing list for encryption policy news. You can subscribe to it from the WWW page http://www.crypto.com/ or by sending mail to majordomo@panix.com. ________________________________________________________________________ CHRONOLOGY OF THE 1996 ENCRYPTION BILLS May 2, '96 Bi-partisan group of Senators introduce PRO-CODE Act, which would free public-domain encryption software (such as PGP) for export, free much commercial encryption for export, and reduce the government's ability to push Clipper proposals down the throats of an unwilling public. Original sponsors include: Senators Burns (R-MT), Dole (R-KS), Faircloth (R-NC), Leahy (D-VT), Murray (D-WA), Nickles (R-OK), Pressler (R-SD), and Wyden (D-OR). Mar 5, '96 Sen. Leahy (D-VT) and Rep. Goodlatte (R-VA) introduce bills to liberalize cryptography exports. Cosponsoring this legislation on the Senate side at Sen. Burns (R-MT) and Sen. Murray (D-WA). On the House side are the following cosponsors: DeLay, Campbell, Eshoo, Moorhead, Doolittle, Barr, Ewing, Mica, Everett, Bono, Lofgren, and McKeon. ________________________________________________________________________ FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ENCRYPTION Encryption Policy Resource Page: http://www.crypto.com/ Voters Telecommunications Watch: http://www.vtw.org/ Internet Privacy Coalition: http://www.privacy.org/ ========================================================================