Re: GAK by TIS

[Adam Shostack <adam@homeport.org>]

To the editor,

	Its important to note that the Clinton administration has not
vowed to end export restrictions on key escrowed products.  The
administration has agreed to let out relatively weak 64 bit products,
if they are escrowed.  This is far below the minimum key length of 80
bits recommended by Schneier, Rivest, Blaze, et al.  (To be fair, this
is noted deep inside the article.)

	The Clinton administration seems to expect overseas business
to buy software with the spying functions built in and publicized.  It
is more likely that US software companies will continue to suffer
until such time as the administration realizes that strong crypto is
not only not going to disappear, but flourish as it enables online
commerce.

Adam Shostack


|    Network World, August 26, 1996, Page 1 
|    Key-escrow firewall ready to leave the country 
|  
|    by Ellen Messner, Washington D.C. 
|  
|  
|    After months of talk about exporting encryption software, 
|    there will finally be action. 
|  
|    Fulfilling the Clinton Administration's vow to end export 
|    restrictions on strong encryption products if they use 
|    key-escrow features, the U.S. government this week is 
|    expected to permit Trusted Information Systems, Inc. 
|    (TIS) to sell its Data Encryption Standard (DES)-equipped 
|    Gauntlet firewall overseas.