For those who thought GAK was merely a local political issue, isolated to those barbarians in the USA, one that they could afford to ignore and morally refuse to address -- Quelle surprise! It's spreading: FRANCE PROPOSES KEY ENCRYPTION LAW The French government has proposed a law that would mandate a key-recovery system for all encrypted electronic documents, a move that is opposed by the business community and the European Commission. Earlier this month, the European Commission rejected the key-recovery approach to encryption, which some believe would make it easier for competitors to gain access to a company's business secrets. "I do not say this is the best system," says the chief of France's Central Service for the Security of Information Systems. "It is the least bad in trying to find a balance between national-security interests, economic interests and the protection of personal privacy." (Wall Street Journal 20 Oct 97)