IP: more re Encryption Technology Limits Eased

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

> From: "Dave Wilson" <dave () wilson net>
> To: <farber () cis upenn edu>
>
>
> I don't want to brag, but it was *first* reported by the San Jose Mercury
> News. Go to http://www.mercurynews.com for a complete report by Jonathan
> Rabinovitz.

As I said , the devil is in the details.  I just got off the phone 
with "a well placed person" who said point two , which could 
translate as key escrow, is not intended by the Administration to 
call for mandatory escrow. It is intended to get at places which 
maintain key escrow facilities like corporations  etc. I pointed out 
that in the course of debate in the Congress, someone will surely try 
for mandatory and he said "lets see what happens" I agree lets watch 
and be ready to stop it.

I got a strong impression that the credit for this one goes to the VP 
Gore for leading the parts of the Government   down a path they did 
not want to go. If so , well done!!

Wonder what the FBI will do with $80 m. Subcontract with NSA?

Dave


According to the official, the policy comprises three pillars:

*        The administration will give $500 million to the Defense 
Department over the next several years to beef up its information 
security and to become a model for other government agencies and the 
private sector.

*        Exporters of the strongest encryption products, which 
generally have keys of 128 bits or more, will no longer need to 
license each shipment. Instead, they will in most instances only need 
to have a one-time technical review of the product. However, the new 
policy will maintain the current ban on sending such products to 
states considered ``terrorist nations'' and will require a 
case-by-case review of sales of high-power custom encryption to 
foreign governments.

*         Legislation will be proposed to Congress that will set up a 
system for law enforcement officials to go to court to get from third 
parties the keys that would open encrypted messages. Along with this 
proposal, the administration plans to set aside $80 million over the 
next four years to help the FBI improve its ability to crack codes.