Trout Fishing the Data Stream -- from Brock N. Meeks

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

CyberWire Dispatch//Copyright (c) 1994//


Jacking in from the "Eye-in-the-Sky" Port:


                     TROUT FISHING THE DATA STREAM


Washington, DC -- The Administration strongly urges you to fish for trout.
Not Bluegill, not Bass, not Crappie or Carp.  Just trout.


Understand that fishing for trout is entirely voluntary.  Fishing for other
fish isn't illegal.  However, government issued fishing licenses allow you
to catch only trout.  But nobody's forcing you to fish for trout.  This is
important to understand.


But "Trout" in this case really means "Clipper Chip," the government-backed
encryption standard that the Clinton Administration is strongly urging
industry to voluntarily build into every type of communications device from
phone to fax to set-top cable TV converters.


The Administration isn't jerking around with this issue, they're playing
hardball.


The Policy Please
=================


The White House today (Thurs.) released its new Commercial Remote Sensing
Policy.  This seemingly arcane subject deals with how much spy vs. spy
satellite photo technology can be dumped onto the open market.  A market
U.S. satellite companies have been banned from participating in, forced to
sit on the sidelines while those loveable French guys from Spot, are
selling their satellite photos faster than they can take them.  Hell, even
the Russians are selling their *military intelligence* satellite photos now
on the open market.


Until today, U.S. firms weren't allowed that opportunity.  National
security issues and all that, you understand.  "The policy announced today
demonstrates the Administration's commitment to remove unnecessary Cold War
barriers that prevent American companies from competing in the global
marketplace," said Rep. George Brown (D-Cal.), chairman of the Science,
Space and Technology Committee.


Nice work, George.  Too bad you gave away the fucking farm.


Dip in Your Thumb, Pull Out a Data Burst
=========================================


The new policy, acclaimed by Brown, sets out 8 specific conditions that
apply to any U.S. company that receives an operating license under the
Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992.  First, that company has to keep records
of every single photo it takes, why it was taken and who requested it.  You
have to keep those records on file for at least a year.  Why?  "To allow
the USG [United States Government] access to this record," the Act says.


Things really start to heat up around condition five, which states:  "All
encryption devices must be approved by the US Government for the purpose of
denying unauthorized access to others during periods when national
security, international obligations and/or foreign policies may be
compromised..."


You tell me what that sounds like?  If you guessed "trout," you're right.


Condition 6 says that all license holders "must use a data downlink that
allows the US Government access and use of the data during periods when
national security, international obligations... may be compromised."  Nice
touch, eh?


Condition 7 is the Automatic Bankrupting Clause.  It says, in essence, that
Uncle Sam can shut down your entire operation -- totally disrupting your
cash flow -- if there's some kind of national crisis, such as the Gulf War,
or rioting in Los Angeles for that matter.  The basis for shutting you down
comes from Secretaries of Commerce, State and Defense.  There's also no
provision requiring the Government to reimburse the companies they shut
down for any lost revenues.


Oh, and if you simply want to build one of these hot satellite birds and
sell it to another country, you first have to make sure the buyer willingly
accepts U.S. Government approved encryption and data interception
technologies that are required to be built into every remote sensing
device.


How many actually sales do you think will be made??  Yeah, me too.


Don't Pee In My Stream
======================


It's clear that the Clinton Administration is going to make it difficult,
if not impossible, for the U.S. high tech industry to do any kind of
business without first adopting its "voluntary" Clipper standard.


Hell, it's your choice, Mister Hot Silicon Valley Entrepreneur.  You either
hot-wire that whiz-bang gizmo with Clipper technology if you want those
government operating licenses or you retool your assembly line and start
cranking out Barbie Dolls.


Your choice, of course.  Trout fishing in the data stream, is after all,
entirely voluntary.


Meeks out...