======================================================================== Campaign for Secure Communications Online May 13, 1996 BI-PARTISAN SENATORS INTRODUCE NEW CRYPTO BILL S.1726 PROMISES TO FREE ENCRYPTION FROM COLD WAR REGULATORY STRANGLEHOLD Please widely redistribute this document with this banner intact until June 15, 1996 ________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS The Latest News What You Can Do Now Crypto Factoid Chronology of Crypto Export Liberalization Bill For More Information ________________________________________________________________________ THE LATEST NEWS In an effort to improve privacy and security on the Internet, a bi-partisan group of legislators recently introduced a bill to encourage the widespread availability of strong, easy-to-use encryption technologies. The bill, known as the Promotion of Commerce Online in the Digital Era (Pro-CODE) act of 1996 (S. 1726), would relax Cold War era export controls which have constrained the development and use of strong privacy and security technologies. Encryption is one of the technologies that will allow us to visualize a secure Internet, an Internet useful for conducting all sorts of private business from communicating with one's doctor, loved one, or spouse, to checking one's bank balance. S.1726 is sponsored by Senators Burns (R-MT), Leahy (D-VT), Pressler (R-SD), Wyden (D-OR), Ashcroft (R-MO), Dole (R-KS), Faircloth (R-NC), McCain (R-AZ), and Murray (D-WA). The Pro-CODE Act resolves to: 1. Allow for the *unrestricted* export of "mass-market" or "public-domain" encryption programs, including such products as Pretty Good Privacy and popular World Wide Web browsers. 2. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to allow the less restricted export of other encryption technologies if products of similar strength are generally available outside the United States, roughly up to DES strength. 3. Prohibits the federal government from imposing mandatory key-escrow encryption policies on the domestic market and limiting the authority of the Secretary of Commerce to set standards for encryption products. A copy of the legislation can be found at each of the WWW sites listed at the bottom in the "For More Information" Section. ________________________________________________________________________ WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW As more and more people come online, the need for - and lack of - strong privacy and security is becoming increasingly critical. This legislation represents an important step towards ensuring that the Internet develops into a secure, trusted medium for political, commercial, and private speech. The co-sponsors of S. 1726 have taken a political risk and are challenging the White House, the NSA (National Security Agency, and the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) in a policy battle to protect your privacy. They need your support. Please familiarize yourself with the bill (pointers to background information are listed below), and then take a moment to call, write, or fax the sponsors of the bill and thank them for their leadership on this issue. 1. Call/Fax/Email Senate sponsors and thank them P ST Name and Address Phone Fax = == ======================== ============== ============== R MT Burns, Conrad R. 1-202-224-2644 1-202-224-8594 conrad_burns@burns.senate.gov D VT Leahy, Patrick J. 1-202-224-4242 1-202-224-3595 senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov R SD Pressler, Larry 1-202-224-5842 1-202-224-1259 larry_pressler@pressler.senate.gov D OR Wyden, Ron 1-202-224-5244 1-202-228-2717 R MO Ashcroft, John 1-202-224-6154 na john_ashcroft@ashcroft.senate.gov R KS Dole, Robert 1-202-224-6521 1-202-228-1245 R NC Faircloth, D. M. 1-202-224-3154 1-202-224-7406 senator@faircloth.senate.gov R AZ McCain, John 1-202-224-2235 1-202-224-2862 senator_mccain@mccain.senate.gov D WA Murray, Patty 1-202-224-2621 1-202-224-0238 senator_murray@murray.senate.gov 2. Use sample communication SAMPLE PHONE CALL You:<ring ring> Sen:Hello, Senator Mojo's office! You:Hi, I'd like to thank the Senator for helping to introduce legislation to lift the export controls on encryption. I won't use Clipper and don't think there's enough strong encryption on the Internet to protect my messages. Strong, non-Clipper encryption is needed to secure communications with my doctor, bank, spouse, and attorney. Sen:Ok, thanks!<click> 3. Let VTW know what sort of response you got Just drop us a line at vtw@vtw.org and let us know how your phone call went! 4. Forward this to your friends and colleagues. Unlike the debate over free speech, many netizens still do not know much about the issues of security and privacy on the Internet. Take the time to explain to a friend why security on the Internet is important. ________________________________________________________________________ CRYPTO FACTOID According to a 1993 study of encryption products worldwide, there are 193 products in 18 countries overseas that are sold with DES-strength encryption built into them. American companies and American programmers are today restricted from selling products with DES-strength encryption to the overseas market, or even distributing them domestically on the Internet. It is becoming extremely difficult for American companies to compete in the global market against competitors who do not labor under such restrictions. Source: Joint study with Dr. Lance Hoffman, Trusted Information Systems (http://www.tis.com), and the Software Publishers Association (http://www.spa.org). Study updated December 1995 and is available at http://www.tis.com/crypto/survey.html. ________________________________________________________________________ CHRONOLOGY OF THE 1996 CRYPTO BILLS 5/2/96 Bi-partisan group of Senators introduce Pro-CODE Act, which would free public-domain encryption software (such as PGP) for export, free much commercial encryption for export, and reduce the government's ability to push Clipper proposals down the throats of an unwilling public. Original sponsors include: Senators Burns (R-MT), Dole (R-KS), Faircloth (R-NC), Leahy (D-VT), Murray (D-WA), Pressler (R-SD), and Wyden (D-OR). 3/5/96 Sen. Leahy (D-VT) and Rep. Goodlatte (R-VA) announce encryption bills (S.1587/H.R.3011) that significantly relax export restrictions on products with encryption functionality in them, as well as free public domain software such as PGP (Pretty Good Privacy). ________________________________________________________________________ FOR MORE INFORMATION There are many excellent resources online to get up to speed on crypto including the following WWW sites: www.privacy.org www.crypto.com www.eff.org www.cdt.org www.epic.org www.vtw.org Please visit them often. Several organizations are working hard to support your right to have access to strong, effective encryption. We have all collaborated on this alert, funneling it through a single editor. Please address any press queries DIRECTLY to the organizations directly. The editors *do not* speak for the coalition as a whole. Here is an alphabetical list of the coalition members: American Civil Liberties Union Center for Democracy and Technology Computer Professionals for Electronic Frontier Foundation Social Responsibility HotWired / Wired Magazine Electronic Privacy Information Center People for the American Way *Voters Telecommunications Watch *Editors ________________________________________________________________________ End alert ========================================================================