In that case, it counts as an improvement indeed. At 10:48 PM 4/30/97 -0700, Anil Das wrote:

On Apr 30, 10:23pm, geeman wrote:

...

Subject: Re: SAFE Bill is a Disaster--"Use a cipher, go to prison"

I'd like to point out that the key phrase in there seems to be "under any law in effect on the effective date of this chapter" -- altho it's gobbledegooked, the intent seems to say "if there is no law in effect mandating GAK when this bill becomes law, there can never be a law passed which does" Or in other words, it has the effect of making GAK no better, or worse, than under current law, while preventing passage of GAK laws in the future.

Agreed, except for one subtle correction. Congress cannot make a law saying a future congress cannot make such and such a law, because the future congress can always repeal, amend or override the old law. So, what this section does is to make GAK through an executive order impossible.

-- Anil Das