Updated Sept. 25, 1997
LATEST NEWS
Two bills on their way through Congress could alter the rules about encryption software.
Follow encryption news from The Post.
BACKGROUND
Our summary, with links to archived Post stories, takes you back to the ground-breaking PGP software, through the Clipper chip debate and to the present.
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Please send comments to Kira Marchenese at technologypost
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We are simply looking to continue ... electronic surveillance under very stringent conditions. If we are foreclosed from those areas ... the safety of this country will be impaired.
— FBI Director Louis Freeh in a speech to the International Cryptography Institute.
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Digital Security:
Who Holds the Keys?
In a world where information is as valuable as gold, people are eager to put credit card numbers, financial data and corporate missives under lock and key. The electronic equivalent of lock and key is encryption -- scrambling that makes messages look like gibberish to snoopers.
That's great for those who own information -- and a potential headache for law enforcement officers, who worry that terrorists, spies and thieves will use encryption to hide what they're doing.
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The Issues |
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The biggest encryption tussle is over how tightly the government should regulate the technology. Law enforcement officials would like access to all keys, with a court order. The Clinton administration has backed them, and has fought to limit the strength of encryption tools exported from this country.
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Denying millions of law-abiding people the use of ... a security product for "law enforcement" reasons is like banning deadbolt locks because they make it a little harder to kick down the doors of a few drug dealers.
— Sen. Conrad Burns in a letter to The Post
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On the other side of the fence are most U.S. software companies. They maintain that export regulations make it difficult to compete with international companies that don't have to meet the same requirements. Also on this side are privacy advocates, who aim to keep the government from monitoring private conversations.
Two Bills Reflect the Split Over Restrictions (Washington Post, Aug. 4)
For the average Web user, the most worrisome encryption decision is how and whether to send a credit card number online. Experts say the chances your number being swiped over the Net are lower than the chances of money being stolen from your home, but consumers are still uneasy buying online.
In reality, the encryption found in leading Web browsers makes online shopping and other exchanges of information generally safe. Following basic rules will keep most information secure.
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The Story So Far |
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The bills now in Congress are only the latest round of a years-long controversy. Our summary, with links to archived Post stories, takes you back to Phil Zimmerman's ground-breaking PGP software, through the Clipper chip debate and to the present.
For updates, you can also follow a month's worth of encryption news from The Post.
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Further Reading |
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These documents and Web sites give more detail on the encryption debate:
The LEGI-SLATE News Service has the current full text of the two major encryption bills, as well as the status and records of committee reports:
Phil Zimmermann's software company distributes PGP and software that enhances its functions.
RSA Data Security, an encryption software manufacturer, hosts an annual conference on encryption technologies.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center section on Cryptography Policy posts encryption news and related documents, as does the Center for Democracy and Technology.
Compiled by Dan Pacheco, Michael Whitney and Kira Marchenese
Copyright © 1997 Digital Ink Company
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