There is some value in having a 900-pound software industry gorilla like NAI pushing at the foolishness of current export policy in a 100% legal way: it demonstrates to more and more of the citizenry (and business leaders with influence) just how empty, archaic and damaging to US interests that the current policies are. It also gives Loyal Members of the Opposition such as the House Demo's and the ACLU ample "ammunition" (excuse the expression) to discuss the details of said Administration foolishness in full public view. [ Excerpts below from ACLU's CYBER-LIBERTIES UPDATE 7 April 98 ] [ for more details, see <http://www.aclu.org/issues/cyber/updates.html> ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ House Democrats Criticize Clinton Position on Encryption Twelve Democratic members of Congress last week sent a letter to President Clinton telling him that they "strongly support legislation that would substantially reform the Administration's export restrictions on American-made encryption products." The letter further states that the members are not satisfied with the Administration's decision to attempt to resolve the current impasse on its position on encryption by holding meetings with industry rather than through legislation. The letter also criticizes the administration's position on encryption requiring strict restrictions on export of encryption programs despite the widespread global availability and the impact of such restrictions on privacy and commerce. The letter further states: Two developments in only the last two weeks illustrate the futility in banning encryption's export or use. Network Associates, the nation's largest independent maker of computer security software, has announced that its Dutch subsidiary will sell an international version of its strongest encryption program. In addition, an MIT scientist, Ronald Rivest, has just proposed a new technique for securing computer files and communications, called "chaffing and winnowing," which doesn't involve encryption at all. The point is that the Administration can hardly control the proliferation or direction of technology in the digital age. Consequently, the discussions with industry will succeed only if the Administration commits itself in these discussions to a major overhaul of its current export policies and to policies that do not mandate or compel domestic controls on encryption. Rather, government should recognize that in the coming decades the protection of our nation's critical infrastructure and national security interests demand foremost that American industry retain its global leadership in the digital arena. A strong domestic high-tech industry -- in cooperation with national security agencies and law enforcement officials which have been granted sufficient resources by our government for meeting the challenges of the digital age -- is the foremost priority for ensuring American security and global leadership in the Information Age." The letter was signed by the following Members of Congress: Richard A. Gephardt, M.C. Zoe Lofgren, M.C. Vic Fazio, M.C. Martin Frost, M.C. Sam Gejdenson, M.C. John Conyers, Jr., M.C. Edward J. Markey, M.C. Anna G. Eshoo, M.C. Rick Boucher, M.C. Calvin M. Dooley, M.C. James P. Moran, M.C. Adam Smith, M.C. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ACLU Report Challenges Clinton Scare Tactics on Encryption Charging that the Clinton Administration is using scare tactics to acquire vast new powers to spy on all Americans, the ACLU has begun circulating a white paper on the escalating battles over wiretapping in the digital age to key members of Congress. The new ACLU report -- Big Brother in the Wires -- says that the current struggle over cryptography policy holds far-reaching and possibly irrevocable consequences for all Americans. It makes an impassioned case for limiting the government's ability to seize and review private communications -- whether they are telephone conversations, FAX messages, electronic mail, electronic fund transfers or medical records -- by permitting the use of strong encryption. The report comes as Congress grapples with fundamental disagreements over encryption policy. On one side of the policy impasse are the law enforcement and national security agencies -- the Justice Department, the FBI, the National Security Council, the Drug Enforcement Agency and many state and local agencies. On the other side are the communications industry, the country's leading cryptographers and computer scientists and civil liberties and privacy advocates. "We are now at an historic crossroads," the report says. "We can use emerging technologies to protect our personal privacy, or we can succumb to scare tactics and to exaggerated claims about the law enforcement value of electronic surveillance and give up our cherished rights, perhaps forever." "If President Clinton and federal law enforcement authorities have their way, new technology will make possible a much more intrusive and omniscient level of surveillance than has ever been possible before," said ACLU Legislative Counsel Gregory T. Nojeim. "Congress must reject this blatant power grab and keep Big Brother out of our wires." The ACLU report can be found at: http://www.aclu.org/issues/cyber/wiretap_brother.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -end excerpts-