Re: GAK Flap Happening at a Good Time--Journalists Read!

[Jeff Weinstein <jsw@netscape.com>]

Black Unicorn wrote:
> 
> On Fri, 1 Dec 1995, Jeff Weinstein wrote:
> 
> > James A. Donald wrote:
> > >
> > > I will prepare the netscape dehanced dirty pictures web page,
> > > but not advertize the URL until shortly after December 5th.
> > >
> > > I hope to hear a suitable "clarification" before then.
> >
> >   See my recent message to this list.  We will be taking an anti-GAK
> > position.
> 
> So you will refuse to implement GAK in future version of netscape then?
> Or you will merely do lipservice to the GAK policies at the conference?
> 
> I think the distinction is quite key.

  If the law requires GAK, then I believe that we will implement it rather
than just disable encryption.  We are taking a position against GAK and
will continue to lobby against it.  We are planning to continue to do both
US and Export versions, so I don't think that the government's ploy of
trying to lure companies into weakening their domestic versions will work.
We released a 128-bit version of our product almost a year ago, at a
time when many companies were providing only weak crypto in their domestic
products so that they didn't have to trouble themselves with two versions.
We are actively lobbying in washington to get clarification of the
current regulations so that we can provide the US version via an "export
controlled" FTP or HTTP download.

	--Jeff

-- 
Jeff Weinstein - Electronic Munitions Specialist
Netscape Communication Corporation
jsw@netscape.com - http://home.netscape.com/people/jsw
Any opinions expressed above are mine.