I'm sitting on the steps of the Rayburn House office building right now waiting for the committee to resume deliberations on the SAFE encryption bill. They've adjourned to vote on unrelated legislation on the House floor. Right now it seems as though votes are split between Rep. White's "compromise" legislation (that includes a cash payoff to the FBI and doubling of crypto-in-a-crime penalties while relaxing some export rules) and Rep. Oxley's proposal that includes domestic controls on encryption. If I had to bet, though, I'd put my money on Oxley. Law enforcement arguments about pedophiles generally trump discussions of privacy rights. If White's proposal fails and Oxley's goes through, industry groups are hoping they can keep themselves from being entirely screwed by pushing through a third amendment that apparently would replace SAFE entirely with a five-month study. (But who would appoint the people conducting the study? Law enforcement? It's unclear.) Rep. Solomon, chair of the powerful House Rules committee -- through which SAFE must pass before it gets to the floor -- earlier today circulated a letter asking members to support the Oxley amendment. "If this language is not incorporated into the bill, as the Chairman of the House Rules Committee I will not move the bill to the floor!" it says. FBI director Louis Freeh, DEO head Thomas Constantine, and Raymond Kelley (undersecretary for enforcement, Treasury Department) also sent a letter earlier today to the Commerce Committee endorsing Oxley's amendment "on behalf of the entire law enforcement community." They don't seem to be exaggerating. The International Association of Chiefs of Police on September 22 said just that. So did the National Sherrifs' Association yesterday. And the National District Attorneys Association on September 19. And the Major Cities Chiefs on September 23. Plus a few state police associations. More soon... -Declan ------------------------- Declan McCullagh Time Inc. The Netly News Network Washington Correspondent http://netlynews.com/