Baby Bells join fight over U.S. encryption control (Nando Times)

              Baby Bells join fight over U.S. encryption control
   
      Copyright © 1997 Nando.net
      Copyright © 1997 Reuter Information Service
      
   WASHINGTON (September 23, 1997 01:33 a.m. EDT) - Five of the
   influential "Baby Bell" regional telephone companies Monday joined a
   coalition urging Congress to reject a proposal to give U.S. law
   enforcement agencies access to otherwise secure computer files.
   
   The phone companies, along with dozens of high-tech companies and
   business groups, signed a letter opposing proposed limits on
   encryption technology used to protect computer files from outside
   access or interference. Louis Freeh, director of the Federal Bureau of
   Investigation (FBI), has urged Congress to enact the limits.
   
   The Baby Bells and other opponents of encryption limits sent their
   letter to U.S. Rep. Thomas Bliley, Republican of Virginia, chairman of
   the House Commerce Committee.
   
   Later this week, the committee is expected to consider an encryption
   bill authored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican. Prompted
   by Freeh, the committee is currently leaning toward amending
   Goodlatte's encryption bill to impose new limits.
   
   Five Baby Bells -- Ameritech, Bell Atlantic Corp. , BellSouth Corp.,
   SBC Communications and US West -- signed the letter opposing the
   restrictions.
   
   Other groups signing the letter ranged across the political spectrum
   from civil libertarians at the Center for Democracy and Technology
   (CDT) to conservatives at Americans for Tax Reform.
   
   "This would be a direct hit at the telecommunications infrastructure,"
   said CDT executive director Jerry Berman who helped organize Monday's
   letter. "It's an unmitigated disaster."
   
   The letter was also signed by International Business Machines Corp.,
   which had previously been seen as one of the few companies not openly
   opposing the Clinton administration's policy restricting encryption
   exports. But the domestic limits being considered by the Commerce
   Committee would go well beyond current policy.
   
   Encryption products, which scramble information and render it
   unreadable without a password or software "key," are increasingly
   being used to secure communications and electronic commerce over the
   Internet.
   
   But the FBI and other law enforcement agencies argue that encryption
   will also be used by criminals and terrorists to thwart wiretaps and
   police surveillance.
   
   The amendment being considered by the committee would require all
   encryption products sold in the United States to include a "back door"
   allowing the government to crack any message covertly.
   
   High-tech companies said such features were unworkable and would
   compromise the security of legitimate encryption users. Civil
   liberties and Internet groups warned that back door access could allow
   for Orwellian government snooping.
   
   Also under the amendment, network providers, ranging from online
   services like America Online to the telephone companies, might have to
   ensure coded messages on their systems could be cracked by the
   government.
   
   --By AARON PRESSMAN, Reuters
   
    Copyright © 1997 Nando.net