IP: Janet Reno calls for a ban on Internet encryption

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

> From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
>
>
> Janet Reno's proposal would bar downloads of even current versions of Internet
> Explorer, Netscape Navigator, or PGP. It would also no longer let students and
> academics collaborate. For instance, an undergraduate at Carnegie Mellon
> University yesterday released crypto-enabled IM software and is
> distributing it
> online -- and would be a criminal if Janet Reno gets her way:
>   http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~bucy/IM
>
> Even if we stipulate that Reno's objective is a worthy one, it surely makes
> sense to weigh the cost of regulation against its benefits (as Chicago law
> prof. Richard Epstein said in his testimony before a Senate subcommittee last
> year). In this case, it seems, the cost is real, and the benefit ephemeral.
>
> -Declan
>
>
> > Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 21:17:08 -0400
> > From: John Young <jya () pipeline com>
> > Subject: US Urges Ban of Internet Crypto
> >
> > The Austrian journal Telepolis today published a letter from
> > Janet Reno to the German Justice Minister urging a ban
> > of crypto products on the Internet. We've made a translation
> > of the report which includes Reno's letter:
> >
> >   http://jya.com/reno-ban.htm
> >
> > Here's an excerpt of Reno's letter:
> >
> > "Much work remains to be done. In particular, I believe we must 
> > soon address the risks posed by electronic distribution of 
> > encryption software. Although the Wassenaar Nations have 
> > now reached agreement to control the distribution of mass 
> > market encryption software of certain cryptographic strength, 
> > some Wassenaar Nations continue not to control encryption 
> > software that is distributed over the Internet, either because 
> > the software is in the "public domain" or because those 
> > Nations do not control distribution of intangible items. While 
> > I recognize that this issue is controversial, unless we address 
> > this situation, use of the Internet to distribute encryption products 
> > will render Wassenaar's controls immaterial."
>
>
>
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