EFF WANTS YOU TO CALL FOR SENATE HEARINGS ON CLIPPER

[Mike Godwin <mnemonic@eff.org>]

EFF WANTS YOU TO CALL FOR SENATE HEARINGS ON CLIPPER


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Feb. 15, 1994

Dear Friends on the Electronic Frontier,

Thank you for your efforts in fighting the government's ill-considered
Clipper proposal. We have already delivered over 2250 messages supporting
H.R. 3627 to Rep. Cantwell, and your messages have continued to flood in.
We'd now like to ask you to help us call for Congressional hearings on
Clipper by writing to Senator Patrick Leahy c/o leahy@eff.org.

As we have previously reported, the Clinton Administration has announced
that it plans to proceed on every front to make the Clipper Chip
encryption scheme a national standard and to discourage the development
and sale of alternative powerful encryption technologies. If the
government succeeds in this effort, the resulting blow to individual
freedom and privacy could be immeasurable.

So far, the government has resisted requests that it explain its policy.
When the Presidential Decision Directive calling for Clipper deployment
first appeared last spring, the Administration promised a report that
re-evaluated cryptography and privacy policy in light of technological
changes, the coming of the National Information Infrastructure, and the
end of the Cold War. The Administration also made a commitment to
meaningful public dialog before taking any major action on escrow
deployment or new legislation.

Yet in spite of the efforts of EFF, CPSR, ACLU, and other groups to
provide extensive input to the Administration, the promised policy report
never arrived, and the Administration has now said there will be no report
after all. This failure of public accountability makes Congressional
hearings an absolute necessity.

There are individuals in Congress willing to look into the Clipper
proposal and related policies--if they hear from you. Senator Patrick
Leahy (D-Vermont), who chairs one of the key committees responsible for
these issues, has asked for comments and concerns about the viability of
the Clipper initiative.

Here's where we need your help. *Please write Senator Leahy at

        leahy@eff.org

and ask that the Senate hold hearings about Clipper.* Senate hearings may
be the only means of ensuring public feedback about Clipper, and, just as
important, they may be the only means of forcing the Administration to
explain its Clipper policy. Please express your concerns about the United
States' Clipper policy and cryptographic policy in general. Your letters
in support of hearings will be printed out and delivered to the senator.

And if you haven't written Rep. Maria Cantwell to show your support for
H.R. 3627, her bill to relax export restrictions on encryption technology,
now's the time to do so. Just send e-mail to 

        cantwell@eff.org

and put "I support H.R. 3627" in your Subject header. Letters in support
of the bill will be printed out and delivered to Rep. Cantwell.

Our fight to keep national encryption policy out in the open--and to
continue allowing individuals to use encryption to ensure their own
privacy--has only just begun. In the coming weeks and months, we will be
working to give you more ways to make your voice heard on these vital
public issues.

Sincerely,

Jerry Berman
Executive Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation