To: announce@openbsd.org Subject: Urgent appeal: Gov't action on encryption: Please respond today!! From: ian@darwinsys.com (Ian F. Darwin) Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 09:47:11 -0400 Sender: announce-request@openbsd.org OpenBSD is a secure operating system. To thrive, we need to be able to continue making reliable and secure electronic communication technology available. It is possible that the Canadian government is about to take (well meaning but ill-informed?) policy decisions that would result in the curtailment of our rights to export OpenBSD as we know it. Apologies for the short notice but it appears that the Canadian government may be trying to put a fast one over by having a sham "public comment" period before going ahead with their own agenda. Possibly not. In any case, the DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS IS APRIL 21, so please act on this message today. [If you get this a day or two after the deadline, please send a short note anyway; better late than never!]. Thanks Ian Darwin ian@darwinsys.com ian@openbsd.org ----- Begin Included Message ----- April 17, 1998

From Mark D. Hughes Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) ISPI4Privacy@ama-gi.com

The following was posted in: GLIC Alert (the Global Internet Liberty Campaign Newsletter) Volume 2, Issue 5 April 13, 1998 http://www.gilc.org [B4.4] Canada Sets the Stage for Encryption Action On March 31, 1998, leaders of Canada's cryptography industry and privacy advocates met in Ottawa to discuss and suggest an encryption plan for Canada. Wired News reported that "the consensus among the group was that Canada should continue its current stance of not implementing any domestic crypto controls, and liberalize its existing export policies." The article quotes David Jones, president of Electronic Frontier Canada (EFC is a GILC founding member): "We are firmly opposed to any policy or legislation that would prohibit the export of encryption of encryption products, either stored or transmitted." In February, the Canadian government invited public comment when it issued "A Cryptography Policy Framework for Electronic Commerce," where it depicts several different cryptography possibilities. According to Mark Hughes, executive director of the Victoria-based Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI): "its call for public comment is, in my view, a cruel joke because the paper was only just issued (February 21, 1998) and all public comment must be made by April 21, 1998. As few Canadians comprehend what encryption is and how it affects them, two months is simply not enough time for Canadians to sufficiently educate themselves in order to make informed comments on the future of their electronic privacy." Read Wired story: http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/1 Canada's "Framework" proposal: http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/cy00005e.html Electronic Frontier Canada: http://insight.mcmaster.ca/org/efc Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI): ISPI4Privacy@ama-gi.com ******************************************************************************** ----- End Included Message -----