LP RELASE: Government must end attacks on electronic privacy

[Libertarian Party Headquarters <lphq@access.digex.net>]

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NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY
2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100
Washington DC 20037
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For release: January 16, 1996

For additional information:
Bill Winter, Director of Communications
(202) 333-0008
Internet:73163.3063@CompuServe.com
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Government must end attacks on electronic privacy, says Libertarian Party 

        WASHINGTON, DC -- The Justice Department's decision not to prosecute 
Philip R. Zimmermann for violating encryption law is a victory for the First 
Amendment -- but unfortunately won't end the government's attack on electronic
privacy, the Libertarian Party warned today.
        
        "The battle for free speech and privacy still rages on the electronic 
frontier," said Steve Dasbach, Chairman of America's third largest political 
party. 
        
        "One hero -- Phil Zimmermann -- won a great personal victory. But 
government laws restricting cryptography still threaten the privacy and 
security of everyone on the Internet. As long as the government has the power 
to obstruct encryption use, the electronic privacy of all American citizens 
will be in danger," said Dasbach.
        
        After a three-year investigation, the Justice Department announced 
late last week that it would not prosecute Zimmermann, a software developer, 
for posting a cryptography program to the Internet in 1991.
        
        Zimmermann's program -- entitled Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) -- was an 
immediate hit, gaining worldwide popularity as "encryption for the masses." It
was among the first programs to give ordinary computer users the power to 
protect sensitive communications.
        
        PGP and similar encryption software turns electronically transmitted 
information -- such as personal e-mail -- into undecipherable gibberish. 
Messages can then be securely sent across networks, using "keys" that are 
almost impossible to crack.
        
        Under current federal law, complex encryption software such as PGP is 
considered a "munition," and is restricted under the International Trafficking
in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Exporting such software requires a license from 
the government. 
        
        "Unfortunately, the government's decision to drop the Zimmermann case 
leaves unanswered the question of whether posting such materials to the 
Internet constitutes a violation of ITAR export regulations," said Dasbach. 
        
        "And the laws that were used to harass Zimmermann were not changed. 
So, developers of cryptographic programs still run the risk of investigation, 
prosecution, and jail time. For Americans working to protect their electronic 
privacy, the threat remains."
        
        "The government justifies such restrictions by saying that 
law-enforcement agencies would be hindered in their efforts to stop 
terrorists, spies, drug-dealers, and pornographers without them," noted 
Dasbach. 
        
        "These regulations do nothing of the sort, since strong encryption 
technology is freely available worldwide. All these laws do is put U.S. 
software companies at a competitive disadvantage, and chip away at the First 
Amendment's protection -- which apply even to 21st century communications. The
Justice Department needs to remember that before they launch their next 
investigation."
        
        The Libertarian Party platform includes a forceful statement in 
support of electronic privacy: "We oppose all regulations of civilian research
on encryption methods. We also oppose government classification of such 
research, or requirements that deciphering methods be disclosed to the 
government." 

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