The Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal have all published stories over the last three days concerning the Administration's announcement on Friday, Feb. 5, 1994, that it will continue to deploy the controversial "Clipper Chip" encryption technology and will not significantly change its export controls.

From the Post on Saturday:

"That means the administration will continue long-standing restrictions on exports of powerful encryption devices that the NSA cannot crack, and continue to encourage use of NSA-developed encryption gear, called the "Clipper chip," by all U.S. firms. The Clipper Chip makes it relatively easy for the government to eavesdrop on encrypted communications.... "Further, government officials said, the administration is expected in a few weeks to endorse an FBI proposal that U.S. telecommunications firms be required to guarantee law enforcement agencies' ability to tape phone and computer lines regardless of where the technology goes. "At the core of these high-tech disputes lies a fundamental conflict between Americans' cherished privacy rights and the government's investigative needs."

From the Times on Saturday:

"But the Administration's action immediately drew a chorus of criticism from both business and privacy-rights groups. Computer and software companies, including Apple Computer, I.B.M. and Microsoft, have adamantly opposed the Clipper Chip because they believe customers will not trust an encryption program that was built by the government and whose inner workings remain a secret. "Perhaps more importantly, they fear that it will harm their ability to export products; they predict that foreign customers will resist buying computers and telecommunications equipment built with decoding technology devised by the National Security Agency. "Privacy-rights groups argue that the technology could lead to unauthorized eavesdropping, because the keys for unscrambling the code will remain in official hands. "'This is bad for privacy, bad for security and bad for exports,' said Jerry Berman, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a Washington nonprofit group that lobbies on privacy issues related to electronic networks. 'The Administration is preparing to implement systems that the public will not trust, that foreign countries will not buy, and that terrorists will overcome.'"

From the Wall Street Journal on Monday:

"The issue has become a controversial one between law enforcement officials and the computer industry and civil libertarians. In unfolding details of the administration's decision, Mike Nelson, an official at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the issue was so difficult it represented 'the Bosnia of telecommunications policy.' "Jerry Berman, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a Washington-based computer users' civil-rights group, said the administration's handling of the Clipper Chip policy could make it 'as successful' as the Bosnia policy, which has come under widespread criticism." William Safire has also written about this in today's NYTimes.

From owner-cypherpunks Mon Feb 7 15:40:40 1994