----------------------------------------------------------------------------- _____ _____ _______ / ____| __ \__ __| ____ ___ ____ __ | | | | | | | | / __ \____ / (_)______ __ / __ \____ _____/ /_ | | | | | | | | / /_/ / __ \/ / / ___/ / / / / /_/ / __ \/ ___/ __/ | |____| |__| | | | / ____/ /_/ / / / /__/ /_/ / / ____/ /_/ (__ ) /_ \_____|_____/ |_| /_/ \____/_/_/\___/\__, / /_/ \____/____/\__/ The Center for Democracy and Technology /____/ Volume 3, Number 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A briefing on public policy issues affecting civil liberties online ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CDT POLICY POST Volume 3, Number 1 April 30, 1997 CONTENTS: (1) House Subcommittee Approves SAFE Internet-privacy bill (3) How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe (4) About CDT, contacting us ** This document may be redistributed freely with this banner intact ** Excerpts may be re-posted with permission of <editor@cdt.org> ** This document looks best when viewed in COURIER font ** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVES SAFE INTERNET-PRIVACY BILL The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual property today approved the Security And Freedom through Encryption (SAFE) act (HR 695), sending the SAFE bill to the full House Judiciary Committee. The SAFE bill was passed by the Subcommittee without amendment and with unanimous approval. A House Judiciary Committee vote on SAFE is expected later this month. Today's vote marks a critical step forward in the ongoing fight to reform US encryption policy, and sends a strong signal to the Clinton Administration that Congress is serious about passing real encryption reform legislation. SAFE, and its companion bills in the Senate (Pro-CODE and ECPA II) are vitally represent the best chance yet of reforming US encryption policy in a way that protects privacy, promotes electronic commerce, and recognize the realities of the global economy. The full text of the SAFE bill, along with analysis and background information, is available online at http://www.cdt.org/crypto or http://www.crypto.com/ The Administration's allies did not introduce amendments to SAFE at the subcommittee markup today, though a tougher fight is expected when the bill reaches the full Judiciary Committee later this month. Rep. Bill McCullom (R-FL), voted in favor of the SAFE but expressed concern that the bill does not contain key-recovery provisions. McCullom, a high ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, said he hopes to address these concerns when the bill reaches the full committee. Also at the markup, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), an original co-sponsor of SAFE, noted that several privacy organizations, including CDT, have raised concerns about a provision of the bill which criminalizes the use of encryption in furtherance of a crime. Rep. Lofgren pledged to work with the privacy community to try and address these concerns as the bill moves through committee. CDT congratulates the subcommittee on today's vote and looks forward to working with the Congress, our colleagues in the civil liberties and Internet advocacy community, and the computer and communications industries to pass real reform of US encryption policy this year. For more information on what you can do to join the fight, please visit http://www.crypto.com/adopt. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (2) SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Be sure you are up to date on the latest public policy issues affecting civil liberties online and how they will affect you! Subscribe to the CDT Policy Post news distribution list. CDT Policy Posts, the regular news publication of the Center For Democracy and Technology, are received by nearly 10,000 Internet users, industry leaders, policy makers and activists, and have become the leading source for information about critical free speech and privacy issues affecting the Internet and other interactive communications media. To subscribe to CDT's Policy Post list, send mail to policy-posts-request@cdt.org with a subject: subscribe policy-posts If you ever wish to remove yourself from the list, send mail to the above address with a subject of: unsubscribe policy-posts ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (3) ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY/CONTACTING US The Center for Democracy and Technology is a non-profit public interest organization based in Washington, DC. The Center's mission is to develop and advocate public policies that advance democratic values and constitutional civil liberties in new computer and communications technologies. Contacting us: General information: info@cdt.org World Wide Web: URL:http://www.cdt.org/ FTP URL:ftp://ftp.cdt.org/pub/cdt/ Snail Mail: The Center for Democracy and Technology 1634 Eye Street NW * Suite 1100 * Washington, DC 20006 (v) +1.202.637.9800 * (f) +1.202.637.0968 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- End Policy Post 3.03 04/30/97 -----------------------------------------------------------------------