CDR: Re: Can we kill the 64-bit nonsense this year?

[Bo Elkjaer]

On Wed, 27 Sep 2000, Sandy Harris wrote about Wassenaar:

> My reading of that is that the current 64-bit limit for freely exportable
> commercial software dies at the end of this year if any Wassenaar country
> acts sensibly and votes to kill it.
> 
> Of course, there will be pressure from the US and perhaps some others to
> act stupidly and maintain the 64-bit limit or rplace it with some larger
> but still insecure limit.
> 
> What can we do to ensure that unanimous consent to this does not occur?

The danish minister of trade Pia Gjellerup has stated in a public letter
to industrial leaders and organisations, that she will work for an
annulment of the note. This was confirmed to me personally by the danish
delegate to Wassenaar, Bjarne Bitsch a couple of weeks ago, although he
couldn't guarantee 'what might happen at the last moment. There's
allways a political risk in these things'. 

Things seems to be clearing up, though. The danish government has been
under a lot of pressure both w. regards to Wassenaar and the recent
Echelon-debate, and the leading danish industrial organisation Dansk
Industri has declared that they intend to put a lot of force into the
annulment of the note. They also want the remaining crypto-products
released, but have low expectatios on this.

Anyway: The danish government has publicly, in writing, committed to
withhold it. Lets see if it keeps. 

Yours
Bo Elkjaer, Denmark


>>Bevar naturen: Sylt et egern.<<
>>URL: http://www.datashopper.dk/~boo/index.html<<
>>ECHELON URL:<<
>>http://www1.ekstrabladet.dk/netdetect/echelon.iasp<<