I was looking through the brochure for ISSS Expo '93, the Third Annual International Security Systems Symposium and Exhibition, to be held in Washington, DC Nov. 15-17. Convention topics: safeguarding proprietary info opsec/intel/counterintel computer/info systems security competitive intelligence (translation: corporate espionage) special topics Exhibits: surveillance systems counter-surveillance detection systems anti-terrorist/penetration information security transmission methodologies computer and communications security miscellaneous One presentation in particular sounds rather ominous: Encryption - The Law (U.S. & International Implications) Speaker: Dorothy "Skipjack" Denning What do you suppose Denning will talk about? Perhaps she will point out that, due to the government's overriding need to perform large-scale, cheap monitoring, only very weak crypto can be exported. And that 40-bit keys can be cracked not only by the government, but also by anyone with idle workstations at night. Naturally, this is a problem for any multinational which doesn't want to be a victim of "competitive intelligence". She might even propose a solution: we can all standardize on Clipper, thereby making the world safe from privacy, and restoring espionage to its proper place as a government monopoly. She will probably forget to mention another solution, however - one which is completely legal and which will be available long before Clipper. A U.S. company can buy ViaCrypt PGP; the foreign branch can use free PGP, and since no cryptographic software crosses the border, no laws are broken. Conference/exhibit info: (301) 986-7800 Exhibit attendance $20 or free with registration form. Conference $595 business, $495 government/military. Maybe some DC-area cypherpunks could show up for the exhibits and crash the party with some highly subversive and seditious materials.