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"UK Crypto Policy Secrets Revealed"

8 July 1999. Thanks to YA and DB.

Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK) Press Release

06 July, 1999

LEEDS - Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK) today launched a new section called Freedom of Information through its web pages at

http://www.cyber-rights.org/foia/. To inaugurate this new section, we are revealing the secretive process in which UK Government policy was influenced by the US Government between November 1996 and January 1997 just before the March 1997 DTI Consultation paper was launched.

The documents that are released today detail the US Crypto Czar David Aaron's visit to the UK and these are obtained under the US Freedom of Information Act by the Washington DC based Electronic Privacy Information Center (http://www.epic.org).

Yaman Akdeniz, Director of Cyber Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK) stated that:

"In the absence of a Freedom of Information Act, so far, it has not been possible to obtain any documents from the DTI under the Open Government Code of Conduct in relation to the formulation of UK Government policy on encryption. The Aaron files clearly show that the UK government policy was closely co-ordinated with the US despite the claims of a recent Cabinet Office paper which stated that `there has been remarkably little co-ordination of policy on encryption matters' at an international level."

Dr Brian Gladman, Technology Policy Adviser for Cyber Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK) stated that:

"These documents expose just a few of the many international exchanges undertaken in the development of government encryption policies. This is just the `tip of the iceberg' and raises the serious concern that the recent UK Government claim that `there has been remarkably little co-ordination of policy on encryption matters' is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public about the true nature and real intent of UK Government actions in this field."

"These documents show that Ambassador David Aaron played the role of a high-tech Johnny Appleseed, travelling the world in First Class to promote US Government key escrow and surveillance policies. The UK is one of the few countries that Aaron was welcomed and the US policy adopted," added David Banisar, Senior Fellow for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based public interest group that sued the US government in 1998 under the US Freedom of Information Act to obtain the documents.

Notes for the Editors

This press release will be available at

http://www.cyber-rights.org/foia and this new section launched today will reveal original documents and exchange of letters in relation to the UK Government policy on encryption.

The Cyber Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK) letter to The Right Honourable Tony Blair, PC, MP, The Prime Minister (June 14, 1999) in relation to UK Government encryption policy is at

http://www.cyber-rights.org/reports/blair-letter.htm

For a list of Cyber Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK) reports and papers see http://www.cyber-rights.org/reports.

Contact Information

Yaman Akdeniz, Director of Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK)
Telephone: 0498-865116, dial +44 498 865116 if you are abroad.
E-mail: lawya@cyber-rights.org

Dr Brian Gladman, Technology Policy Adviser,
Cyber Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK)
Telephone: 01905 748990, dial +44 1905 748990 if you are abroad.
E-mail: brg@cyber-rights.org

David Banisar, Senior Fellow,
Electronic Privacy Information Center,
Telephone: +1 202-544-9240
E-mail: Banisar@epic.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mr. Yaman Akdeniz,
Director, Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK)
URL: http://www.cyber-rights.org
E-mail: lawya@cyber-rights.org

Read the CR&CL (UK) Reports at:

http://www.cyber-rights.org/reports/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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