IP: Calif. Gov't E-Commerce panel recommendations

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

To: farber () cis upenn edu
From: Jeff.Hodges () stanford edu


Dunno if you've otherwise seen this. The URL is correct as is the excerpt 
below (it's from the "Privacy Recommendations" section of the Summary 
chapter). The doc covers much more ground than just the below recommendation 
to relax current encryption restrictions. The Summary sections cover: Tax, 
Privacy, Consumer Protection, and California-specific recommendations. The 
members of the high-powered panel are listed at the end of the Preface.

Jeff
http://www.stanford.edu/~hodges/
------- Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 10:47:45 -0500 (EST)
From: "P. J. Ponder" <ponder () freenet tlh fl us>
To: cryptography () c2 net
Subject: Calif. Gov't E-Commerce panel recommendations

This is from a recent E-Commerce report in California.  It highlights the
'Cat Being Out of the Bag' argument against crypto controls.  The full
report is available from: http://www.e-commerce.ca.gov/

<Begin Quoted material:>
6  The federal government should overhaul its current restrictions on the
export of encryption technology, taking fully into account actual foreign
availability of comparable technologies. For example, Netscapes Internet
browser and e-mail application  "Communicator"  that incorporates 128-bit
encryption technology may not be exported from the US to foreign
consumers. Yet, using any of the popular Internet search engines, it takes
only a few minutes to find foreign-based websites from which one can
obtain free add-on software  independently developed by foreign software
developers  that will augment Communicator so that it will have 128-bit
encryption capabilities. This fact should justify eliminating the current
ban on exporting the 128-bit version of Communicator, and a truly rigorous
foreign availability review of encryption technology would support
substantially broader deregulation.
<End Quote>

The report has a catchy title, too:
"If I'm so empowered, why do I need you?"
Defining Government's Role in Internet Electronic Commerce




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