http://www.currents.net/newstoday/00/04/10/news10.html --------------------------------- CUT ------------------------------- Daily News 'Draconian' Crypto Ideas Still Exist By Sylvia Dennis, Newsbytes April 10, 2000 While the Clinton administration has relaxed the international export of encryption technologies, there are still some other "draconian proposals" in the pipeline, according to the Electronic Privacy Information Center's (EPIC) third annual report on the state of encryption policies. The report, titled "Cryptography and Liberty 2000: An International Survey of Encryption Policies," said, however, that the movement toward the relaxation of regulations of encryption technologies has largely succeeded. [...] Despite these advances, EPIC said that the battle for secure and private communications is not yet won. Its research found that some countries are now proposing "lawful access" requirements that would force users to disclose keys or decrypted files to government agencies. Others, meanwhile, are considering proposals that give intelligence and law enforcement agencies new powers to conduct surveillance, break into buildings or hack computers to obtain encryption keys and obtain information. EPIC said that law enforcement and intelligence agencies are also demanding and receiving substantial increases in budgets. These new powers and budgets raise concerns about the expansion of government surveillance and the need for public accountability. Wayne Madsen, a senior fellow with EPIC, said that the majority of countries around the world are not interested in controlling encryption. However, he added, a few nations are now proposing surreptitious and covert methods for obtaining private keys and access to encoded communications. Marc Rotenberg, EPIC's executive director, said that the report will contribute significantly to the ongoing discussion about the right to communicate freely and in private in the digital age. "Strong encryption is critical for the development of networks that will safeguard personal communications," he said. An online version of the report is available on EPIC's Web site at http://www2.epic.org/reports/crypto2000 . Reported by Newsbytes.com --------------------------------- CUT -------------------------------
