EFF WANTS YOU TO CALL FOR SENATE HEARINGS ON CLIPPER *** Distribute Widely *** Feb. 15, 1994 Dear Friends on the Electronic Frontier, Thank you for your efforts in fighting the government's ill-considered Clipper proposal. We have already delivered over 2250 messages supporting H.R. 3627 to Rep. Cantwell, and your messages have continued to flood in. We'd now like to ask you to help us call for Congressional hearings on Clipper by writing to Senator Patrick Leahy c/o leahy@eff.org. As we have previously reported, the Clinton Administration has announced that it plans to proceed on every front to make the Clipper Chip encryption scheme a national standard and to discourage the development and sale of alternative powerful encryption technologies. If the government succeeds in this effort, the resulting blow to individual freedom and privacy could be immeasurable. So far, the government has resisted requests that it explain its policy. When the Presidential Decision Directive calling for Clipper deployment first appeared last spring, the Administration promised a report that re-evaluated cryptography and privacy policy in light of technological changes, the coming of the National Information Infrastructure, and the end of the Cold War. The Administration also made a commitment to meaningful public dialog before taking any major action on escrow deployment or new legislation. Yet in spite of the efforts of EFF, CPSR, ACLU, and other groups to provide extensive input to the Administration, the promised policy report never arrived, and the Administration has now said there will be no report after all. This failure of public accountability makes Congressional hearings an absolute necessity. There are individuals in Congress willing to look into the Clipper proposal and related policies--if they hear from you. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), who chairs one of the key committees responsible for these issues, has asked for comments and concerns about the viability of the Clipper initiative. Here's where we need your help. *Please write Senator Leahy at leahy@eff.org and ask that the Senate hold hearings about Clipper.* Senate hearings may be the only means of ensuring public feedback about Clipper, and, just as important, they may be the only means of forcing the Administration to explain its Clipper policy. Please express your concerns about the United States' Clipper policy and cryptographic policy in general. Your letters in support of hearings will be printed out and delivered to the senator. And if you haven't written Rep. Maria Cantwell to show your support for H.R. 3627, her bill to relax export restrictions on encryption technology, now's the time to do so. Just send e-mail to cantwell@eff.org and put "I support H.R. 3627" in your Subject header. Letters in support of the bill will be printed out and delivered to Rep. Cantwell. Our fight to keep national encryption policy out in the open--and to continue allowing individuals to use encryption to ensure their own privacy--has only just begun. In the coming weeks and months, we will be working to give you more ways to make your voice heard on these vital public issues. Sincerely, Jerry Berman Executive Director Electronic Frontier Foundation