Group To Set Rules For Computer Encoding AP resent from billcrypt

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

r f AM-ComputerEncoding     07-13 0280
^AM-Computer Encoding,0256<
^Group To Set Rules For Computer Encoding<
           NEW YORK (AP) _ Novell Inc., the leader in network software for
corporate computer systems, is set to reveal plans for protecting
information stored in computers or transmitted over networks,
according to a published report.
           Novell, leading an international industry group, was to make the
announcement in New York on Wednesday, The New York Times reported
Tuesday.
           The announcement was seen as an indirect challenge to the
Clinton Administration's effort to impose a national encoding
standard for computer and telephone communications, the newspaper
said.
           The other companies involved are AT&T, Computer Associates,
Citicorp, Hughes Aircraft, Motorola and smaller firms specializing
in data security.
           Representatives from the European Community standard setting
committee and the British Ministry of Defense were also to
participate in the announcement.
           Computer and communications companies, as well as corporate
users of information technology, are worried about the government's
plan, which would enable it to use wiretaps with a court's
authorization, the newspaper said.
           But an unidentified White House official told the Times that the
administration could live with the move.
           ``I think this won't drive us crazy,'' the official said.
``We'll look at this and evaluate it on its technical merits.''
           The government can influence the use of communications encoding
standards by controlling what types of hardware and software that
companies can export, but it has no legal means of imposing its own
standard or of blocking the development of an industry standard.