More SAFE bill hearings (CNET)

   Crypto high on Congress agenda
   By Courtney Macavinta
   July 29, 1997, 2:25 p.m. PT
   
   update The debate over encryption is firing up even as Congress gets
   ready for its summer recess next week.
   
   Yesterday, the Computer Security Enhancement Act cleared the House
   Science Committee. A provision in the legislation would require the
   National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to set up a
   procedure for U.S. companies to test foreign encryption.
   
   The House National Security Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow on
   SAFE.
   
   Rep. James Sensenbrenner's (R-Wisconsin) proposed test bed would
   supply ammunition for those fighting President Clinton's export
   restrictions on encryption.
   
   Opponents of the White House policy say the bill's passage will help
   them illustrate that other countries are shipping stronger encryption
   products than the United States, therefore making the U.S.
   government's standard 56-bit limit on crypto key lengths useless.
   
   The longer an encryption key is, the harder it is to break. Advocates
   of encryption say there should be no limits to key lengths to ensure
   that communications over computer networks are illegible if
   intercepted.
   
   The Clinton administration opposes the NIST test bed provision, but
   privacy advocates are rooting for its approval.
   
   "The act provides a mechanism whereby U.S. decision-makers can take
   into account the public availability of encryption technologies
   outside of the United States when formulating policy on encryption,"
   said Marc Rotenberg, director of Electronic Privacy Information Center
   during a hearing on the Computer Security Enhancement Act. "I hope
   that an awareness of technologies available outside the United States
   will influence decision-makers to adopt a policy on encryption that
   will help U.S. computer hardware and software manufacturers be
   competitive in what is essentially a global market."
   
   The Security and Freedom through Encryption Act (SAFE) will also have
   Congress's ear before its August recess.
   
   The House National Security Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow on
   SAFE, introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia). The bill is
   expected to go for a House vote in September. But three select
   committees can hold hearings on the bill before the fall to gather
   data, which could then be used to introduce "substitute" provisions to
   SAFE when it goes for House approval.
   
   "It won't stop the bill, but it's another forum where the House can
   have an intelligent public policy debate about encryption," said
   Shabbir Safdar of the Voters Telecommunications Watch. "People who
   advocate the national security side have valid concerns, but they
   don't trump everything else in the debate."
   
   SAFE would overturn Clinton's export limit and prevent the government
   from creating a mandatory "key recovery system." Under the current
   regulations, crypto export products within two years must give law
   enforcement officials with a court order access to the keys to decode
   any encrypted communication.
   
   Legislators have been busy trying to overturn the president's export
   restrictions. The Pro-Code bill, introduced by Sen. Conrad Burns
   (R-Montana), has lost momentum this session, according to sources.
   Pro-Code could have served as the Senate companion bill to SAFE,
   making for an easier passage into law.
   
   Not surprisingly, it's unclear what SAFE's chances are without the
   power of Pro-Code in the Senate: "The Senate is truly a different
   animal, but we have to get it out of the House first," said Ellen
   Stroud, Rep. Goodlatte's press secretary. "But we have the support of
   Burns and other senators who are on our team and who will work with
   us."
   
   SAFE's main sponsors announced today that they had garnered 249
   cosponsors, a majority of the House. Now they will try to get 290
   sponsors to make the bill "veto-proof" should it land on the
   president's desk.
   
    related news stories
    • FBI wants domestic crypto keys July 10, 1997
    • Pro-Code bill all but dead June 19, 1997
    • Crypto bill seeks domestic rules June 17, 1997
    • Hot week for encryption March 21, 1997
   
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