FITUG e.V. Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft

Newly Declassified Clipper Chip Documents

------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Sat, 19 May 2001 12:15:59 -0400 To: cryptography@wasabisystems.com, dcsb@ai.mit.edu From: "R. A. Hettinga" <rah@shipwright.com> Subject: Newly Declassified Clipper Chip Documents (was Re: Netsurfer Digest: Vol. 07, #15)

At 9:38 PM -0400 on 5/18/01, Netsurfer Digest wrote:

> Newly Declassified Clipper Chip Documents
>
> The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has obtained
> documents
>revealing US intelligence policy regarding the use of the Clipper
>chip. Those with good memories will recall this mid-'90s US
>government proposal for the development and mandated use of an
>encryption chip that would allow law enforcement to decrypt all data
>- and by law it would be all encrypted data in the US - passing
>through the chips. The documents, obtained through the Freedom of
>Information Act, reveal that the US considered sharing the technology
>with countries like China, Syria, and Pakistan - not exactly paragons
>of human rights enforcement. It also makes clear that the intelligent
>agencies unambiguously planned to mandate the insertion of the chip
>into all newly manufactured US phones and computers. In the face of
>fierce opposition from the public, the Clipper chip died an ugly
>death, but this does lift the veil a bit on an important bit of
>computing and crypto history.
> Documents: <http://www.epic.org/crypto/clipper/foia/>
>http://www.epic.org/crypto/clipper/foia/
> EPIC: <http://www.epic.org/> http://www.epic.org/

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