FC: U.S. to follow E.U. crypto lead; more on HavenCo and offshore

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36756,00.html

HavenCo: Come to Data 
by Declan McCullagh (declan () wired com)

1:30 p.m. Jun. 5, 2000 PDT 
WASHINGTON -- For the intrepid crew of cypherpunks who are
erecting a data haven off the stormy coast of England, making sure
the technology works will be the easy part. 

A more serious threat is likely to be governments alarmed by
HavenCo's offer to host individual and corporate sites that are illegal
in some parts of the world. 

Some countries consider gambling or sexually explicit websites to be
illegal. There's also broad international agreement that money
laundering "havens" should be put out of business. 

According to HavenCo officials and the company's terms of service,
everything but spamming, obscenity, and child pornography is legal.
The company plans to begin operations by September. 

Could nations act against HavenCo, a startup company perched on a
tiny manmade island called Sealand with uncertain legal independence
from Britain? 

"It depends largely on who this entity's backers are. Are they well
connected?" says James Feinerman, a professor of international law
at Georgetown University. 

"I suspect we could blow them out of the water, although I wouldn't
recommend that, and if they were in fact propagating illegal material
I bet nobody would really care. There would be few consequences if
nobody is interested," Feinerman says. 

[...]


http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36788,00.html

U.S to Follow EU Crypto Lead 
by Declan McCullagh (declan () wired com)

3:00 a.m. Jun. 6, 2000 PDT 
WASHINGTON -- If the European Union votes next week to relax
encryption regulations, the United States says it will take similar
steps. 

Commerce Department Undersecretary William Reinsch said Monday
that any change, designed to make sure American high-tech
companies aren't disadvantaged, will have to wait until the Europeans
reach a decision. 

"In order to make the best move, we must wait until after the EU
makes theirs on June 13th. An announcement will come, must come
after the EU's announcement," Reinsch told the annual meeting of the
Computer and Communications Industry Association in Washington. 

The European Ministers of Foreign Affairs is expected to vote on June
13 to dramatically relax export controls. The panel last month
delayed a scheduled vote on the proposal, citing too many items on
the meeting's agenda. 

[...]

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