------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 19:27:13 -0500 To: politech@vorlon.mit.edu From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com> Subject: FC: US claims victory: stricter export controls on encryption Reply-to: declan@well.com [So much for the White House's hands-off-the-Net policy. One wonders what the companies that on Monday applauded Clinton and Gore for their ostensibly deregulatory approach think about this. --Declan] ============================================================== @@@@ @@@@ @@@ @@@@ @ @ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@@ @@@ @ @ @@@@@ @ @@@ @@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@@ @ @@@ @@@@ @ @ @@@@ @@@@ @ @ @ ============================================================== Volume 5.18 December 3, 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------- Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. http://www.epic.org [...] ====================================================================== = [2] International Crypto Agreement Modified ====================================================================== = The US Commerce Department reported on December 3 that the Wassenaar Arrangement, a 33-country group that works on exports of military goods, has reached an agreement on setting limits on international transfers of encryption. The new agreement reportedly allows for exports of crypto products up to 56 bits for all crypto and 64 bits for mass market software or hardware. These changes reflect both a relaxation and an increase in restrictions. Currently, cryptography items are strictly controlled. However, mass market software is exempt. Only a few countries including the US currently restrict exports of mass market software. The decision to implement these changes will remain with each country and this agreement may not result in any changes in current practice. As the Secretariat notes on their web page: "The decision to transfer or deny transfer of any item will be the sole responsibility of each Participating State. All measures undertaken with respect to the arrangement will be in accordance with national legislation and policies and will be implemented on the basis of national discretion." The US has been lobbying the other members to adopt more restrictive laws. However, many nations such as Finland, Canada and Ireland have announced domestic policies in the past year which allow for more liberal exports. Earlier this year members of the Global Internet Liberty Campaign, an international organizations of civil liberties groups around the world, wrote to the Wassenaar Secretariat and urged the removal of controls on cryptography. The GILC Statement said that "failure to protect the free use and distribution of cryptographic software will jeopardize the life and freedom of human rights activists, journalists and political activists all over the world." The announcement from the US Department of Commerce on the new Wassenaar controls came in the same week that the White House said that it would pursue a policy of "self-regulation" for Internet commerce. More information on Wassenaar is available from: http://www.wassenaar.org/ GILC Statement: http://www.gilc.org/crypto/wassenaar/gilc-statement-998.html WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Clinton administration officials on Thursday said they had persuaded other leading countries to impose strict new export controls on computer data-scrambling products under the guise of arms control. At a meeting on Thursday in Vienna, the 33 nations that have signed the Wassenaar Arrangement limiting arms exports -- including Japan, Germany and Britain -- agreed to impose controls on the most powerful data-scrambling technologies, including for the first time mass-market software, U.S. special envoy for cryptography David Aaron told Reuters. [...] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe: send a message to majordomo@vorlon.mit.edu with this text: subscribe politech More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----Zurück